When THE LAST AIRBENDER hits the silver screen on July 1st, you can count its cast and crew among its biggest fans. Two of the film's stars, Nicola Prelz (who plays water bender Katara) and Jackson Rathbone (who plays Katara's brother, Sokka), are especially psyched about the movie's opening - fueled by their love of the animated series.
Prelz, who watched AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER with her two younger brothers, says she loved Katara even before she knew they were making a movie. "She is an amazing role model for girls. Anything she puts her mind to, she'll do - she is so physically and mentally strong." Perhaps she tapped into this trait during the audition, because she got the part.
"When I told my little brothers I got the part, they didn't believe me at first. They were like, 'No you didn't.' They thought I was joking. Then they were so excited for me, and I started screaming - my mom thought a chandelier fell on my head!"
Rathbone knew the show as well, and is a fan of martial arts. He enjoyed the animated series Cowboy Bebop and had just watched a couple episodes of THE LAST AIRBENDER - because his friends were into it - when he found out about the audition. After picking his friends' brains and watching episodes they recommended, he then auditioned for Prince Zuko.
"I met with [M.] Night [Shyamalan, the film's writer/producer/director] and he wanted to see how I would read Sokka. I tried that, liked it, and met Nicola at a sort of mix-and-match in Philadelphia. As soon as we read together, the chemistry was right there, and we felt like brother and sister from the get-go."
This turn of events earned him mad props from friends, who had been unimpressed with his part as vampire Jaspar in the TWILIGHT series. Their indifference toward his role as bloodsucker changed to, "Oh, man, that is ridiculously cool!"
So what was it like for him to transition from a world of vampires and werewolves to 6-legged flying bison and benders of the elements? Rathbone says it wasn't so difficult, considering he plays the part of a human in this film. Plus, he adds, preparing for the role was great fun.
"I got to do months of intensive kung fu and grappling training for AIRBENDER, and I actually got to parlay that into filming Eclipse. It's actually a nice separation because AIRBENDER is a film that everyone in the family can enjoy. There's not too much romance there ... although I do get a little romantic there towards the end."
That teaser is from a storyline familiar with fans of the cartoon series (no spoilers here!), and those same fans should be relieved to find out that the fight scenes on the big screen are as epic as the ones on TV. Followers of the cartoon knew they were watching legitimate kung fu techniques, an intentional move by creators Brian Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino. Each element bender was modeled after specific styles of kung fu: Airbenders were styled after Baguazhang;; Waterbenders, Tai Chi; Earthbenders, Hung Gar; and Firebenders, Northern Shaolin. This detail wasn't lost on Shyamalan, who put his big screen actors through rigorous training before and during production.
Prelz, for one, began preparing before she knew she'd gotten the part. In October of last year she began training with her sifu, Julio Perez; then, at the end of February, she and the rest of the cast moved down to Philadelphia for boot camp, which she describes as "really hardcore."
"At first I learned kung fu, which is kind of the basic, and that was force against force; and then tai chi, which is more fluid, it's using the other person's force against themselves and it's more like waterbending. So I got to learn both. And then I did some wire work - the training was so much fun."
Rathbone, who trained for non-bender Sokka, started in January with his sifu in Los Angeles. He says he learned the power fist form, which would be the fighting style of the less technical fighter in Sokka.
"I also spent a lot of time learning wrestling and grappling moves as well because since Sokka's not a bender, they wanted him to have more of the heart of a warrior as opposed to the technicality aspects. And if we get to make the next two films, then of course Sokka becomes a much stronger, much more technical fighter. I'm really excited because if we get to film the next two, I get to work with swords, so I got a taste of that when I was training in Philly."
Martial arts weren't the only area in which the actors required training. All great fight scenes on the big screen call for a lot of choreography and coordination. Both actors tip their hats to stunt coordinator Jeff Habberstad, as well as their stunt trainers and doubles.
Prelz offers up her kudos to one of the trainers, named Sonny. "When he was teaching Noah (Ringer, who plays Aang) and I waterbending, even if a pinky was a little off, he'd correct us because it would mean something completely different. His martial arts are unbelievable."
Rathbone adds, "It was just utterly incredible. I mean, we got to work with some of the most talented martial artists and the most talented stunt men and women in the business. And we were blessed and they're just such amazing people."
Working so closely with these stunt artists, it's easy to understand how the cast grew to respect their skills during filming, particularly with their doubles. Prelz calls her double, Melissa Barker, amazing. Rathbone has similar high praise for his double, Holland Diaz ... but relays a particularly odd moment in filming. "Actually, I ended up doing a lot of my own stunts and at one point wound up fighting my stunt double while he was in a mask, so you couldn't see his face. I got to tackle him. I almost, uh, broke his ribs at one point..."
Prelz, however, recalled a completely different scenario, and was quick to call out her on-screen brother, stopping him mid-sentence: "Oh, Jackson, come on now, don't flatter yourself. You didn't hurt him at all!"
"No, not at all," Rathbone admitted with a laugh.
It's this sibling-like rapport that will surely translate to the bigger screen, as the brother-sister duo goes on a journey with the Avatar, Aang, on his quest to save the world. Although the chemistry between actors will be genuine, some parts of the movie require a little movie magic to bring the cartoon to life.
Both Rathbone and Prelz have watched the movie, and are equally impressed with what they saw. Rathbone states, "It's amazing. We have some of the most state-of-the-art CGI. ILM - Industrial Light and Magic, George Lucas' company - did it. We got to do a screening at the Skywalker Ranch! It just blew us away."
Having viewed the flick in 2D, they can't wait to see it in 3D. Rathbone exclaims, "That's gonna be incredible. Fire and water and air and earth going everywhere, all that, being in the midst of the battles, ahhh! It's gonna be epic! The 2D felt like 3D. So now the 3D's gonna feel like 4D. It's like we're going to have people take their glasses off at some points and it's gonna be like, WHOA!"
For sure, the ILM team was an integral part in making the movie - from creating Appa, Momo and other animals in the Last Airbender world to helping the benders do their thing. The Special Effects team also played a major role, such as creating the ring of fire that encircles Prince Zuko (played by Dev Patel) whenever he's engaged in hand-to-hand combat; as well as Aang's airbending and Katara's waterbending.
Sokka, the only main character without a bending ability, has always provided comic relief in the animated series. Though this holds true to an extent in the film, there is a slight change in Sokka's character. Still a young warrior trying to keep the Southern Water Tribe together, he tries to fill the role of a leader. Rathborne describes the part as very practical. 's got the heart of a warrior, but he doesn't have the technical aspects yet. He is fairly sardonic in certain aspects of the film, still, and kind of sarcastic here and there. He's still fun, but he's definitely more serious - less slapsticky."
Still, the heart of the story remains, and the lessons learned by the trio of Aang, Katara and Sokka as they fight arch nemesis Prince Zuko and the Fire Nation in an effort to restore the balance of power in the world is still the central theme. Adds Prelz, "What's really important to [Director M.] Night [Shyamalan] are family and values and morals. That's in the cartoon, and really shines in this movie. You see these three kids going on this huge adventure, and they become one big family."
The cast and crew are crossing their fingers that the next two books will also be greenlighted, so audiences can see the story in its entirety. Rathbone pitches, "This is a series that needs to be seen. I think people are going to feel connected to it. The animated show had such a presence for a reason. There are a lot of people in the world who don't necessarily like to watch animation, so I think this film will also help expose the animated series as well as kind of elaborate on it."
Prelz adds. "It really is for all ages. It has action, family, love, there's everything in this movie."
About
Melissa Leon-Guerrero Do :
Melissa Leon-Guerrero Do is a frequent contributor to KungFuMagazine.com and a huge fan of THE LAST AIRBENDER. THE LAST AIRBENDER opens everywhere July 1st.
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