Avatar: Fire And Ash: Oona Chaplin Talks About Embracing Varang & The Fierce Spirit Of The Fire Clan, “I Never Saw Her As A Villain…”
Hollywood Actress Oona Chaplin states her way of thinking about Varang in Avatar: Fire And Ash, as she explains the hidden significance of the character
Oona Chaplin States Her Point Of View On Varang’s Character In Avatar: Fire & Ash (Photo Credit – 20th Century Studios)
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As James Cameron prepares to unveil the next chapter of his monumental Avatar saga, global audiences’ anticipation continues to surge. Fans around the world are eagerly awaiting the return to Pandora, and are eager to see how its cultures, conflicts, and clans evolve in Avatar: Fire and Ash. One of the most intriguing additions is Varang, the formidable new leader from the Fire Clan, played by actress Oona Chaplin in the film.
Oona Chaplin On Varang’s Character In Avatar: Fire And Ash
For Oona Chaplin, Varang was never a one-note antagonist. Instead, she approached her as a woman driven by trauma, separation and an unwavering sense of principle and purpose toward her people.
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Chaplin stated: “I never saw her as a villain, and I don’t think you say that as well, you’re not the villain, you know, it’s a little complicated, but I think both of these characters are also very principled. For me, you know, it was a great revelation to have the conversations with Jim around this theme where she tells a little bit about her biography, her kind of origin story, why she is the way she is. And it struck me as like she’s actually a very human character, because the depth of trauma that comes from the separation from the connection to nature, which, you know, everybody here understands what that feels like, even if we’ve forgotten even what that feels like, but, you know, all of that, that disconnection breeds conflict.”
Chaplin explains that this disconnection shapes Varang’s entire worldview. “It’s the source of all conflict, really, is separation, and thinking that you’re somehow other. And so that route, I was like, that’s so easy to connect with, and that’s so actually very, very smart to put in Pandora, because it shows us that these themes are universal, you know, that you can go to some far off moon and …and see the repercussions of pain that has not healed. You know, of holding onto anger that comes from a deep, deep grief, that is only perpetuating itself because, you know, she just charges towards the things that make her afraid. You know, she’s got the right idea. She’s got to address the things that make her afraid.”
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Oona Chaplin Explains Her Respect Toward Varang
“You know, in a perfect role, she would go over to them and address them with the intention of healing, but she just wants to destroy them. So that makes her a villain, I guess. But I have a lot of respect for Varang. I think she’s a fantastic leader. She’s really the hero of her people. She brought them back and gave them a new direction and orientation in their lives and in their society. And she’s reinventing the whole way to be on this moon. You know, she’s found out a whole new religion, a whole new system of power, and a whole new relationship with the sky people. She’s a revolutionary.”
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Varang’s arrival expands Pandora’s cultural landscape, introducing a clan forged in flame, discipline and spiritual reinvention.
20th Century Studios releases Avatar: Fire and Ash in Indian theatres on 19th December in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam.