[This story contains spoilers for Avatar: Fire and Ash.]
Avatar: Fire and Ash star Trinity Bliss is one of only a few people who’s able to say that she grew up inside the imagination of James Cameron.
In 2017, the filmmaker cast seven-year-old Bliss to play Tuk, the youngest member of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri’s (Zoe Saldaña) family. Her performance-capture role then wrapped when she was nine years old, but additional photography allowed her to return to her character plenty of times in the intervening years, including just a handful of months ago. When one says that the Thousand Oaks native grew up on the Manhattan Beach set of Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar: Fire and Ash, it is by no means a figurative statement.
“It’s funny because I’m finally Tuk’s height [at 16]. She’s 5’7’’ or 5’8’’ as a nine-year-old Na’vi. In the hair and makeup room on set, all of us kids who were growing up would mark our heights on this wall. I went from being at the bottom and so separated from everybody else to now being one of the tallest on the wall during [additional photography],” Bliss tells The Hollywood Reporter.
With Tuk being the youngest sibling and only biological daughter of Jake and Neytiri, she’s understandably treated with kid gloves. Her life has routinely been threatened by the Sullys’ adversaries, be it Quaritch (Stephen Lang) and/or Oona Chaplin’s new Fire and Ash baddie, Varang. When Chaplin wasn’t holding Tuk captive, she would help Bliss catch up on schoolwork or hone her skills as a budding singer-songwriter. Like a lot of Gen Z kids, Bliss can do a little bit of everything.
“Oona was very much not villainous off camera. We would make friendship bracelets together, or we’d play the guitar and ukulele together,” Bliss recalls. “She even helped me make a diorama for school when I was behind on work.”
Before being abducted in the third act by Quaritch and Varang, Tuk finally had enough of being told to sit tight while everyone else got to be heroes. Sensing her adopted sister, Kiri (Sigourney “Sig” Weaver), and brother-like figure, Spider (Jack Champion), needing help, she connects to the Spirit Tree so she can assist their effort to summon aid from Eywa, the All-Mother of Pandora.
“Tuk finally just realizes, ‘I’m going to ask for forgiveness, not permission. I can’t stay back and wonder if my family is going to be okay. I’m a fighter too, and they shouldn’t underestimate me,’” Bliss says. “That whole mental process she goes through before she acts is part of her very core, and it’s planting the seed for where she’s going to go in [Avatar] four and five.”
Much like their relationship in the series, Bliss considers Champion to be her “brother from another mother.” They quickly bonded over being the two youngest actors on set, as well as when they started a swear jar for repeat offenders like Cameron and Worthington.
“We actually donated it to a good cause, a pet shelter. F-bombs were $5,” Bliss says. “A little while after filming, I auditioned for a role that had to curse a lot, and Jim [Cameron] joked, ‘We foul-mouthed people really prepared you for it.’”
As for whether she’ll continue to grow up on Pandora, it remains to be seen. As always, it will depend on what Fire and Ash’s final box office tally will be after the typically lucrative holiday stretch. Cameron has also been hedging his bets in the press with regard to Avatar 4 and 5, so Bliss is on pins and needles like everybody else. To account for her and the rest of the young cast growing like weeds, pieces of the fourth chapter have already been shot.
“In the past, it was always something I felt like I could rely on because I was just so looking forward to it. Of course, it would be a shock [if they didn’t happen],” Bliss admits. “So I hope we get to continue on to four and five, but I don’t really know how to feel about whether it’s a sure thing or not. I’m just crossing my fingers.”
Below, during a spoiler conversation with THR, Bliss discusses the ins and outs of being both the youngest Sully and the youngest actor on Cameron’s volume set. Then she shares some tidbits that she’s accumulated over the years about the scripts of Avatar 4 and 5.
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I thought Jack Champion had a cool name, but I think Trinity Bliss tops it.
(Laughs.) Thank you for that. We loved to joke about our names and compete over which one is the best. On set, when we were still literally little kids, we would make little raps of each other’s names. He always rhymed Trinity with infinity.
Did you bond over being two of the youngest cast members?
I hadn’t thought about it that way, but looking back on it now, maybe it was because we were both the youngest. We were always filming scenes together, so we just bonded really quickly. He’s my brother from another mother.
Plus, you’re both held hostage at different points in these movies.
Trauma bond!
Exactly.
It’s nice to have forever besties from the Avatar set after all these years. I’m still in touch with Jack, and whenever he comes to L.A., he’ll stay with my family and I. So I just really love that I’ve made so many forever friendships.
Have your parents let you watch Scream VI yet?
Yeah, I went to watch it when it was in the theater, and Jack totally led me astray. While watching the film, I was like, “Hmm, I think Jack’s been lying to me.” Of course, I then got to the end. But I loved seeing him in that film, and it made me scream.
Right before I saw Avatar: Fire and Ash, I saw a picture of you and Jack with tears in your eyes after your first screening of it. So I convinced myself that Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) was a goner based on that one photo, and the last half hour was all-the-more stressful. You really gave me quite a scare.
(Laughs.) I loved seeing everybody’s comments on Insta where we posted it. People also put images in the comments on TikTok. A lot of people thought the same as you, and I feel bad for leading everyone to a dark place in anticipation for this film. But Jake can’t die; Sullys never quit.
Were you just emotional to see what you made after so many years of waiting for it?
Yeah, I’m such a softy so I was crying on and off throughout the movie. Different parts really hit my soul. After Jack and I watched it with the whole cast and Jim, we talked about the film, and the nostalgia just hit us. It felt so bittersweet because we weren’t in those times anymore. We were now looking back on those times. We were looking back on our childhood. So getting to be in the same room with everybody that I love and toast champagne — Martinelli’s for Jack and I — to the beautiful film, it was both bittersweet and so surreal.
Do you remember which scene hit you the hardest?
It was probably that scene with Lo’ak when he’s going through that dark time, especially the way Britain’s [Dalton] voice breaks when he says, “It’s not my fault.” I was sobbing. It killed me at the time. He goes through all of that turmoil, and it almost climaxes to him harming himself. So it’s a really important moment in the film, especially with everything that goes on in our own world. Hopefully, a lot of teenagers will be able to find some hope in how Lo’ak really rises to the challenge. It just hit me so hard when Kiri and Tsireya are like, “We love you, Lo’ak.”
It was interesting to watch Fire and Ash now that I’m 16. I saw different themes and characters in a new way. Of course, I relate to Tuk, but now I can relate a lot to the teenagers of the saga and see myself in what they’re going through. The beautiful thing about Avatar is that different ages, cultures, and experiences can all connect over its universal themes. We can all see ourselves in one character or multiple characters.
Also, Ronal’s [Kate Winslet] death was really hard to take even though I knew it was going to happen. This film really made me understand the term “emotional rollercoaster.” I would boo the RDA, cheer for the Na’vi, and then the Ash put me on the edge of my seat. My shoulders would shake from crying, and then I would laugh at Quaritch’s funny one-liners. So it was definitely an emotional rollercoaster.
Is Fire and Ash nearly the same from what you remember shooting? Or did it evolve a lot in post?
It had its evolution, but it’s beautiful how The Way of Water and Fire and Ash are one story in some ways. Fire and Ash continues what The Way of Water set up. That’s why it was still pretty clear to me what this story and a lot of the different plot points were meant to be. But you only see the scripts at a couple table reads, and then everything is top secret after that. So the memory can get quite jumbled when you only find out what you’re filming on the day. You get the dailies and the sides delivered to your trailer in the morning.
Watching it definitely felt like experiencing it all for the first time. Once I was in that dark room with everybody and I had my 3D glasses on, I forgot it all. So it definitely had its evolution during the editing process, especially because so much got cut to make sure the whole story could be streamlined. But I do think that it feels true to what was filmed.
Were there scenes that you didn’t know were in the movie?
Yes, it was when Quaritch goes to visit the Ash Clan in their natural habitat. Basically, it was all the stuff with the Ash Clan that wasn’t about them chasing the Sullys or holding us hostage or any of that stuff. I didn’t remember it very well, and of course, I wasn’t there for the filming of it. So seeing that on the screen and feeling Oona’s [Chaplin] presence gave me such goosebumps because I wasn’t expecting it. Also, I guess I just forgot about the Lo’ak storyline that I mentioned earlier. I had only read it at the table read, so it probably hit me hard because it was another storyline I wasn’t expecting.
Did you go back and film anything new after The Way of Water came out?
Yes, especially in 2024. We’ve gone back for some pickups over the years, and I even did pickups earlier this year in July. It’s been lovely to grow up with my character and grow alongside her. She feels a part of me forever now. So I’m really hoping that I get to continue to grow with her if we get to do four and five. Continuing this saga would mean a lot to me as a fan of Avatar and as someone who’s part of the Avatar family. The best one is yet to come in my head.
Being 16 years old now, it must be tough to get back into the mode of your 7- to 9-year-old self.
Yeah, whenever I went back for pickups, it was fun to remember what it was like to play Tuk and move like her at that time. She’s still a little Na’vi who’s discovering the world and discovering herself. Even my voice was different then, not just because it was higher, but because it had a little more rasp. And I was much more impulsive when I was little. I trusted my instincts, and I just went for it in that way. So all those things were really fun to rediscover whenever I went back for pickups.
You’re also a foot taller now than you were when you started filming at seven years old.
Yeah, it’s funny because I’m finally Tuk’s height. She’s 5’7’’ or 5’8’’ as a nine-year-old Na’vi. In the hair and makeup room on set, all of us kids who were growing up would mark our heights on this wall. I went from being at the bottom and so separated from everybody else to now being one of the tallest on the wall during pickups. It doesn’t say Trinity; it says “Cricket.” Jack is now probably the tallest on that wall.
During The Way of Water, Jack told me that he could see his age fluctuating throughout the movie. In one scene, he’ll be 14, the next scene he’ll be 16 and the scene after he’ll be 14 again. Do you have your own version of that experience?
Yeah, I can tell, but I wonder if anyone else is able to tell. It’s almost a tonal thing. But it’s also really funny because Tuk still has my nine-year-old teeth, which were buck teeth at the time. So I just see my little self in her most of the time, but in general, I can spot the different versions of myself. That’s one of the reasons why Jack and I were so emotional about it all. We were literally looking back on our childhood, and it’s definitely cool to see our different versions of ourselves on the screen.
Avatar was your first time ever being on a film set, and it’s a completely unique filming experience compared to most other movies. When you went on to film other projects, did it take you a minute to get used to how things are typically done on most sets?
Yeah, there were a lot of things I wasn’t expecting and had to adjust to on typical movie sets. There were aspects like the mark or hair and makeup or the sun going down. With performance capture, you never have to worry about those things. It’s just actor to actor and the director. There are no sun or weather challenges, or hitting the mark. There’s no master shot and then getting everyone’s coverage. Every take is fresh when it’s performance capture.
But I love all of it. I just love being on set. It’s a happy place for me. So there was definitely a discovery process, but it was one that I loved. Other sets are also a much faster experience. I had a total of two years to sit in Avatar and discover my character. On other sets, you just jump into it, and everything moves really quickly. So I learn so much and take something with me from every character and every set.
Film journalists and film fans love Jim Cameron because he’s a straight shooter. He doesn’t hold back in interviews. Is he just as unfiltered on set?
Yeah, it’s one of the many things I love about him as a person. I really love talking with Jim. That unfiltered factor is also in his humor. He has the most dry humor. Sometimes, in the best way, it’s unclear if he’s joking or being serious. It’s really inspiring to work with him because he’s a really collaborative director. He loves building the character with the actor on set, and he’s just always experimenting and playing. So much improv for Tuk came from Jim and I bouncing ideas back and forth. He’d also shout things out for me to try.
I’ve learned so much from his awesome presence and leadership on set. He takes so much time and care to get us into that place where you’re imagining the world around you. We were basically filming two films at once, and he had it all in his head. So, sometimes, the whole set would shut down for half an hour just so he could talk with us about the whole timeline and where our characters are. He would get us into that zone, and even the tone of his voice changes, whether it’s a personal moment or getting us all ready to battle.
Is it true that you and Jack started a swear jar, mainly for Jim and Sam Worthington?
(Laughs.) Yeah, it’s funny to look back on it now. I’m like, “Wow, we did that.” It’s also really funny because Jack and I became contributors to the swear jar [during pickups]. I feel very sheepish to swear around my Avatar family now because Jack and I were the co-founders of the swear jar on set. We actually donated it to a good cause, a pet shelter. But it wasn’t something consistent. If we’re in the middle of a scene or working on set, we weren’t like, “Pay up!” F-bombs were $5; “shit” was $1; “ass” was a penny. I’m not exactly sure how Jack and I decided those ratios, but Sam got to a point where he joked, “Just start me at negative $40 every day. Then I’ll get at least eight F-bombs.” A little while after filming, I auditioned for a role that had to curse a lot, and Jim joked, “We foul-mouthed people really prepared you for it.”
You got to have a big moment in Fire and Ash. Tuk, after being told to stay put the whole movie, plays a key role in getting Kiri and Spider to Eywa. Was that a thrill to film and watch years later?
Yeah, it’s always been one of my favorite scenes. It was one of my favorite scenes to film, and now it’s one of my favorite scenes in the film. I think it was such a cool sequence to film because we had on-land and underwater stuff. The on-land stuff had these huge fans for us to go against the force. Then there was the underwater stuff where we’re connected to the spirit tree before the torpedo hits and pushes us back. It’s such an emotional, physical and climactic sequence.
Tuk finally just realizes, “I’m going to ask for forgiveness, not permission. I can’t stay back and wonder if my family is going to be okay. I want to fight with them and for them. I’m a fighter too, and they shouldn’t underestimate me.” That whole mental process she goes through before she acts is part of her very core, and it’s planting the seed for where she’s going to go in four and five.
You’ve already filmed part of the fourth movie?
Yes, because there’s a time jump in four. And once that time jump passes, we’ll all be our [real-life] ages now, which is so cool. I really want to jump into Tuk’s growth as a teenager. We also have some flashbacks in four, so we filmed little bits and pieces. We haven’t gotten into five, but oh my goodness, I’ve heard all the inside scoops about this beautiful story from Jim and Sig [Weaver]. The scripts were written over a decade ago, and she’s read them. So this whole story has been fleshed out from the beginning, and I really feel like the best one is yet to come.
Jim has been saying in the press that Fire and Ash could be the last one. He’s hedging his bets and not counting his chickens just yet. Would you be surprised if Avatar 4 doesn’t happen?
I don’t know how to feel at this moment. In the past, it was always something I felt like I could rely on because I was just so looking forward to it. I would be so ecstatic to get back on set with all my favorite people again. That set is a playground, and discovering Tuk is a playground. I was a fan of this story before I was even a part of it. So I’ve always looked forward to [four and five], and, of course, it would be a shock [if they didn’t happen]. But I’m really excited that the fans are reuniting with the Sully family right now in Fire and Ash. So I hope we get to continue on to four and five, but I don’t really know how to feel about whether it’s a sure thing or not. I’m just crossing my fingers.
We’ve all heard the story about the studio exec whose one-and-only note in response to Avatar 4’s script was “holy f***.” So it’d be such a shame to not find out what that truly means.
Yes, you put it into words perfectly. That’s on my mind every day. I also want to say, “Holy F,” at Avatar 4. (Laughs.)
You haven’t been able to read the scripts yet, but Jim has still told you the gist of Tuk’s overall arc?
Yes, he has, which is why I’m bursting to get into it. Tuk has so much to discover, and it excites me the way all of these different characters’ arcs are going to unfold and reach sky high. It shakes me to my core, really. Of course, it has to get worse before it gets better. So I don’t know if I was ready to read those scripts yet when I was younger, but now I’m just like, “Hmm, can I read those scripts?” Everything I’ve heard about them is just so exciting. Sig [Weaver] is always joking with me about it. In September, when we were doing press, she was like, “You’ve got to get your paws on those scripts, Trinity.” She’s obsessed with four and five. So all of these characters have some really exciting things that await them.
I think she narrates the fourth one so I can see why she’s excited.
Yeah!
It must’ve been fascinating to watch her believably play a teenager every day.
Yeah, it’s funny to look back on now. I don’t even know if I thought about it that much on set because it just all felt so natural. We were always doing scenes together, so Sig was always hanging out with us kids. We all had fun together, and she has the most playful energy. She’s so much fun to talk to, whether we’re chatting in the makeup chair or getting ready for the day or catching up during press or being pen pals over the years. Sig is really fun, and it’s really special to be able to look up to her in a big sister way on set just like Tuk and Kiri’s relationship. Tuk’s whole heart bursts when she thinks about Kiri. That’s her big sister, her role model and someone she loves so much. So to get to have that relationship with Sig both on/off set and in scenes was really cool.
With Tuk being the youngest, everyone is very protective of her in the story. Was everyone very protective of you as well? Was there a lot of overlap between your personal experience and your character’s experience?
Yeah, I guess there was a lot of overlap. I just always felt very well taken care of on that set. But like Tuk, I wanted to keep up with everybody. I wanted to keep up with the older kids. The best thing about that set was that no one treated me like a little kid. Of course, they looked out for me and wanted me to be taken care of, but they didn’t treat me like a little kid. We would have real conversations, and as a kid, that’s all you want and hope for.
I have a little dog named Levi. I adopted him because my castmate was fostering him at the time on the Avatar set. He’s a small dog, but he never thinks that he’s a small dog when he’s with other dogs. So that was me when I was little. I didn’t really realize how legendary all my cast and crew members are. So it’s funny to look back on now, but I was very taken care of and supported. We all loved to bond together.
Oona, who plays Varang, was very much not villainous off camera. We would make friendship bracelets together, or we’d play the guitar and ukulele together. She even helped me make a diorama for school when I was behind on work. (Laughs.) So everybody was so caring to me.
Well, I hope we get the chance to do this again for Avatar 4.
Same. I can’t wait.
Maybe Jim should officially call it Avatar: Holy F.
(Laughs.) Can I manifest that for you and with you? Because I would die for that title. I’m going to mention it to him the next time I see him.
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Avatar: Fire and Ash is now playing in movie theaters.
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