While jumping into the long-awaited sequel to the highest-grossing movie of all time might have been intimidating, Avatar: The Way of Water star Kate Winslet says she found the water just fine.
The two-time Oscar winner reunited with writer-director James Cameron — who steered her as the captain of Titanic, the one-time all-time box office champ — and credits him and the 2009 original's stars, Zoe Saldaña and Sam Worthington, with making her feel at home on Pandora.
"You know, Zoe and Sam, what they did the first time around was to create that heartbeat," Winslet explained at a press event.
She continues, "You know, it's one thing for Jim to write it. It's quite another to find it and to give it a life and a pulse and real blood in those veins. And ... it's really, really extraordinary to be around that. It's not a performance. It's not things they came up with on the day. It is a universe. It is a love. It is something that is palpable. And you feel it."
Winslet adds that while Pandora — and even her character, the fearless matriarch Ronal — are brought to life onscreen thanks to computer wizardry, the world was already very much alive. "You step into that space, it's an empty space, but it is absolutely loaded with truths and dynamics and pulses that these guys built ... And it's honestly very, very special to have been part of it."
Avatar: The Way of Water has grossed over $1 billion and counting after its debut in the States December 16.