Movies Sigourney Weaver hints at 'goofy' role in Avatar sequel: 'The biggest stretch I get to play' "I think if Jim Cameron didn’t know me really well, he wouldn’t have cast me as something as goofy as this." By Lester Fabian Brathwaite Lester Fabian Brathwaite Lester Fabian Brathwaite is a staff writer at Entertainment Weekly, where he covers breaking news, all things Real Housewives, and a rich cornucopia of popular culture. Formerly a senior editor at Out magazine, his work has appeared on NewNowNext, Queerty, Rolling Stone, and The New Yorker. He was also the first author signed to Phoebe Robinson's Tiny Reparations imprint. He met Oprah once. EW's editorial guidelines Published on August 30, 2022 10:41PM EDT Avatar: The Way of Water is finally splashing into cinemas on Dec. 16, some 13 years after the original blockbuster, and it's bringing with it a familiar face in a not-so-familiar role. Sigourney Weaver, Dr. Grace Augustine in the 2009 film, is back, but this time she's playing Kiri, the adopted daughter of Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saladaña). In a recent sit-down with fellow thesp Elizabeth Banks for Interview magazine, Weaver calls playing the Na'vi adolescent "the biggest stretch" she's ever had to tackle as an actor. Sigourney Weaver stars as Kiri in 'Avatar: The Way of Water,' in addition to reprising her role of Grace Augustine. 20th Century Studios "So Avatar I can't really talk about, but I would say that it's the biggest stretch I get to play in every possible way," Weaver tells Banks. "I think if Jim Cameron didn't know me really well, he wouldn't have cast me as something as goofy as this. I had to work in a completely different way to play this character, a very physical way." Cameron, whose collaborations with Weaver go all the way back to 1986's Aliens, knew Weaver would be up for the challenge. "Sigourney just became younger," Cameron told Empire magazine in July. "She looked younger, she had more energy, and she never quite stepped out of Kiri for our whole capture period. She had a glow on her face and lightness in her step and a fun spirit." Weaver, having gone through her own awkward adolescence as a near-six-foot-tall 11-year-old, "felt strongly that Kiri would feel awkward a lot of the time," she added. "She's searching for who she is. I was thrilled to be given that challenge by Jim." The 72-year-old went on to detail her rigorous training for the Kiri role to Banks, which included "a lot of parkour. We had to do burpees. We had to do freediving." As a result, she can now hold her breath for six-and-a-half minutes. Which is probably impressive to anyone who's not Kate Winslet. Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more. Related content: James Cameron opens up about his long-awaited (and awaited) Avatar sequel Sigourney Weaver to play new character in Avatar: The Way of Water — see the first image Even James Cameron can't handle all these Avatar sequels, may not direct final few films