Bringing Varang to life is Oona Chaplin, granddaughter of the iconic Charlie Chaplin. Varang is not crafted simply as an antagonist or narrative counterpoint, she is a force of nature.
Talking about her character, she said, “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.”
To embody her intensity, Oona Chaplin immersed herself in curated music and symbolic decor on set, a ritual that helped her channel the fire, pain and conviction that define Varang’s essence.
Avatar: Fire and Ash releases on December 19 in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.
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