It’s well documented that Matt Damon is known as the guy who turned down both a percentage and the leading role in James Cameron’s “Avatar” movies. He shouldn’t feel too bad, though, as he wasn’t the only one who missed out on a trip to Pandora. Before Sam Worthington took on the role of Na’vi convert Jake Sully, two equally compelling stars were considered for getting blue CGI skin.
During an appearance on the Empire podcast, Cameron revealed that MCU familiars Chris Evans, aka Steve Rogers, and the current Gambit, Channing Tatum, had both been approached for the part before the director settled on his final choice. “Chris Evans, and Sam, and Channing Tatum. That was my choice,” Cameron recalled. “I really liked Channing’s appeal. I liked Chris’ appeal. They were both great guys. But Sam had a quality of voice and a quality of intensity.” This casting choice led to Sam Worthington appearing in three of Cameron’s otherworldly adventures since 2009, culminating in “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” set for release on December 19, 2025.
According to Cameron, all it took was one key moment in the first film to seal the deal for his leading man and ensure that Worthington was fit to lead the Na’vi into battle. After all, you can’t go to war without a hair-raising speech, and Worthington nailed it on his first try.
How Worthington won his Avatar role
While Worthington was undoubtedly up against some tough competition that consisted of Captain America and a mutant-in-the-making, Cameron revealed that no one could muster the kind of leadership he was looking for. That was until Worthington, who was relatively unknown at the time, took on one of Jake’s most important moments and dominated.
The legendary filmmaker, who has never been one to mince his words about big movies in Hollywood (besides being discreet about “Star Wars”), saw that Worthington was the star he needed. “Everybody did about the same on all the material through the script, except for the final speech where he stands up and says, ‘This is our land, ride now, go as fast as the wind can carry you,'” Cameron revealed. “That whole thing. I would have followed him into battle. And I wouldn’t have followed the other guys. They’ve since gone onto fantastic careers and all that, but Sam was ready. He was ready.”
While Tatum might not have had a role that demanded he take charge of a team since then, there’s no question that Evans became a leader in the MCU as Captain America. In fact, his leadership skills played a part in “Avengers: Endgame,” the one film that briefly bumped “Avatar” off the top spot as the most successful film of all time, before Cameron reclaimed the title thanks to re-releasing the first film. Take that, Cap.
