4 years ago, Netflix was looking for someone to lead their next big franchise: the live-action adaptation of Avatar, The Last Airbender. Back then, the world was in the midst of the COVID pandemic, filming was halted and everyone was staying at home. Despite these difficulties, producers have conducted thousands of auditions via Zoom.
password? discretion. As they conduct the tests, Gordon Cormier (Aang), Chiaventio (Katara), Ian Owsley (Sokka), and Dallas Liu (Zuko) are unaware that they are there for the Avatar. As they explain in the cute video below, the teams gave them fake scripts. When Gordon had to pretend to be a young baseball fan, Dallas played a character whose father ran an alarm clock company (!!).
This moving video is also a chance to see how much the cast has grown between auditions and the release of Avatar on Netflix, and even after filming. It is enough for the authors of the series to think about the timing of the 2nd and 3rd seasons, which were announced immediately. Puberty and the physical changes of the actors – starting with Gordon Cormier, who will soon turn 15, and he was 12 at the time of filming – will affect the plot.
But what we especially remember from these auditions is seeing how attached the actors are to their characters and the world of Avatar. If Aang’s translator has done some intense watching, those who play Katara, Sokka, and Zuko are fans from the get-go. Ian Ausley even reveals here that he got into martial arts through cartoons. It’s also impossible not to think of the audition video of the One Piece cast who share the same passion for Eiichiro Oda’s work…
Avatar Last Airbender is available on Netflix.
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
