Netflix’s live-action remake of the animated show Avatar: The Last Airbender has finally begun to stream. The show was in the making for over two years and had made headlines due to the original creators of the show exiting their roles as showrunners. The series finally opened earlier this week to mixed to average reviews.
Actor Gordon Cormier played the role of Aang, the present Avatar in the live-action remake. Cormier finally opened up about his experience playing the role that had a huge fan following. He mentioned the pressures and expectations that came with leading a series of that scale and also stated how nervous he was while awaiting the release of the show.
Gordon Cormier Was Nervous Before The Release Of Avatar: The Last Airbender
Gordon Cormier starred in the Netflix show Avatar: The Last Airbender as Aang, the protagonist of the series. Aang, the present Avatar, was the reincarnation of Avatar Roku and was about to be relocated from the Air Temple due to increasing hostility from the Fire Nation, who have been waging wars on other nations for a century. Aang, however, ran away and suspended himself in an iceberg for a hundred years when Katara and Sokka found him.
Avatar: The Last Airbender had to face many hurdles while on its journey to get made. The animated show’s creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko were originally attached to the live-action remake but soon departed due to alleged creative differences. Albert Kim then took over as the showrunner and head writer of the series (via Variety).
With the original creators being gone, fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender were disappointed with how the show might turn out. The show was in production for over two years and was finally released earlier this week on Netflix. Gordon Cormier, the lead actor, mentioned how nervous he was before the show’s release.
Avatar: The Last Airbender had a dedicated fanbase, who has already received a terrible live-action remake in the form of M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender. The pressure on the makers of the Netflix show to get this one right was huge. Cormier said in a virtual press conference (via UPI),
“I know that we put pressure on ourselves because we’re such big fans. We’re feeling exactly what the fans are feeling. And yeah, it’s pretty cool.”
The actor was reportedly also a fan of the series and was so hooked on it after watching the part that he saw the original animated show thirty times.
Gordon Cormier Had A Great Time On The Sets Of Avatar: The Last Airbender
Gordon Cormier was cast along with Kiawentiio and Ian Ousley as the main trio in Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender. The lead actor was known for his appearances in the films The Stand and the show Lost in Space. He mentioned that he was excited to play the role and perform all the martial arts. He said,
“It was incredible, personally, for me. I was really high energy, or I am a real high energy person…I also really enjoyed the martial arts part of it. It would be so easy for me to go on and on and on, run forms back to back to back to back, and just the wire work was incredible. So, I had a really good experience with boot camp.”
Gordon Cormier mentioned that he also shared a great bond with each of his co-stars. Kiawentiio played Katara in the live-action remake while Ian Ousley played Sokka. Dallas Liu also played the role of Prince Zuko, the primary antagonist in the first season of the show. Cormier said in a press conference (via Tatler Asia),
“Ian [Ousley] and I have the relationship Aang and Sokka have, and Kiawentiio and I have the same friendship as Aang and Katara. It’s like we’re all like our characters in the series. But I can’t say it’s like Aang and Zuko with Dallas [Liu] and me. Dallas is fun, and there’s no rivalry at all.”
The actor also mentioned that he was extremely excited to train for the show and also expressed his excitement at filming scenes with his flying bison Appa.
