'Avatar' child actor shares director James Cameron became a 'father figure' to him

 Jack Champion was cast as Miles ‘Spider’ Socorro in Avatar: The Way of Water when he was just 12.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Champion shares his experience working on the multiyear project with director James Cameron.

Champion previously starred in 2018 comedy-horror film The Night Sitter and had a small role in Avengers: Endgame.

When the young actor found out he was cast in the sequel, he watched the 2009 original movie and loved it. “Three hours, every day,” shared Champion, now 18. “It was one of my favourite movies growing up.”

For scoring the role, Champion underwent a lengthy audition process. “It was four months, starting with self-tapes,” he recalled, “and then I met with the casting director [Margery Simkin] over Skype. It was a lot of auditioning. I never was like, ‘Oh, I’m definitely going to get the role.’ Because I think as an actor, you don’t want to set yourself up for being sad. You’re always just thankful, like, ‘Hey, at least I made it this far. I can always say I got to this point.’”

Since The Way of Water in production for nearly five years, the young actor became quite close to the veteran director.

“It’s an honour to work with Jim for four and a half years of my life,” Champion said of Cameron. “He knows everything about every department, from acting to lighting to stunts to cinematography. A lot of the time, he’d hold the camera himself, do his own camerawork. He’s just a cinematic genius. After so many years, he has kind of become like a father figure to me.”

According to THR, Champion is set to appear in Scream 6 (due out in March). He will also appear in upcoming Liam Neeson-starring thriller Retribution, and he’s also shooting Freaky Tales, directed by Captain Marvel helmers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck.