Charlie Chaplin's niece claims she was living in a tree when James Cameron sought her out to star in new 'Avatar' film

What finally brought Oona Chaplin and James Cameron together was something quite different from the glitz of movie premieres, the red carpets at them or the huge budgets surrounding blockbuster movies like Avatar. Or maybe not so different, given the unmistakable environmentalist message of the most profitable film franchise in history, writes El Pais.

“We talked [cu Cameron] about 40 minutes about the Earth,” said the 39-year-old actress in an interview with the Spanish publication. “I told him that I was living in a tree house and that I was starting a permaculture project with a friend. We talked about alfalfa, potassium in the soil, organic and biodynamic agriculture… He is very involved in all these things,” she explained.

A few months later, the role she poured her heart into during the casting process, the feared leader of the tribe who challenges the main clan in the new film Avatar: Fire and Ashesbecame hers.

But Chaplin, who made a name for herself in the role of Talisa Maegyr in the popular series Game of Thrones on HBO, revealed that the first contacts with the Canadian director's team took place years before the release of the previous film Avatars, The way of waterin which she did not star.

Oona Chaplin says she instantly identified with her character in new movie 'Avatar'

“It was one of the biggest moments of my life. It was 2017 and I had just been to Cuba with some friends, where we were building a tree house in the jungle. I remember thinking, 'This is what I want to do from now on: live in the country, alone, I don't care about anything else.' But the opportunity arose to meet the casting director of Avatars and I thought it would be a good excuse to leave the tree house,” she laughed, according to El Pais journalists.

“I identified with my character because, at that time, I was very connected to the injustices in the world; I felt a lot of anger. I met James Cameron, and even though he's intimidating, he exudes an infectious passion. He's a hero, a genius who made me feel capable and supported. I said to myself, 'There's no shame here, there's no second chance. I'm giving it my all, and whatever happens, happens.'” the actress said.

The new movie Avatars Cameron's, the third of five he wants to produce, has grossed more than $760 million in less than two weeks since its December 19 release.

The first feature film Avatars of 2009 remains the highest-grossing film of all time, with $2.9 billion in ticket sales worldwide, while The Way of Water is in third position with total receipts of 2.3 billion. In second place, between the two feature films Avatars his is the superhero movie Avengers: Endgame as of 2019, with $2.79 billion in revenue.