Sigourney Weaver praises her collaboration with James Cameron on the Avatar series, calling it “the perfect job for an actor” due to his commitment to exploring creative possibilities.

Kiri stands out among the Na’vi. As the offspring of Dr. Grace Augustine’s Avatar, she has been raised by Jake Sully and Neytiri, but there’s something uniquely extraordinary about her.

Sigourney Weaver, who portrayed Dr. Grace in the original film and reprises her role as Kiri in The Way of Water, returns once more as the teenage version of her character in Avatar: Fire and Ash. This installment delves deeper into Kiri’s enigmatic bond with Eywa, the goddess of Pandora.

“It’s fascinating because we’re not strictly adhering to continuity,” Weaver shares during our conversation in London. “Kiri possesses these remarkable abilities—she can communicate with other species and create miracles. Yet, she sees herself simply as a kid, unaware of her father’s identity. In this film, as chaos ensues, she must rise to the occasion, telling herself, ‘I may never fully understand, but I have to do what needs to be done, and somehow, I can handle this.'”

Weaver continues, “It’s incredible to witness how this power transforms her and educates her throughout the film. As an actor, when I step into the Volume where we film, I feel like I know Kiri; she’s part of me. But I also have to step back and let her take the lead. I prepare extensively, but once I’m in the Volume, I think, ‘Okay, Kiri, it’s your turn.’ She’s as much a creature and an animal as she is a human girl, so I let that aspect of her guide me. My mind might say, ‘You’re not this,’ but my instincts urge me to embrace it.”

Weaver has a long-standing collaboration with director James Cameron, dating back to 1986’s Aliens. “I think he basically said, ‘I hope you can pull this off,'” she laughs about working with Cameron on Fire and Ash. “We filmed two and three together, and we joke about casting someone my age as a 14-year-old. But I believe he saw something in me that helped shape Kiri, and he just wanted me to dive in.”

“Honestly, I don’t think he reveals much about where we’re headed. He prefers to discover the character’s journey alongside us, which is why he’s not in video village or anything like that,” Weaver explains. “He’s right there with us, and when we approach a scene, we genuinely explore what it’s about. For Kiri, it often revolves around figuring out how to make sense of a world that feels chaotic to her. He does everything he can to help you explore all your ideas, making it an ideal environment for an actor—a dream job, really.”

Kiri’s journey unfolds when Avatar: Fire and Ash hits theaters on December 19.