As James Cameron prepares to unveil the next chapter of his monumental Avatar saga, global anticipation continues to surge. Fans around the world are waiting to return to Pandora, 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, brought to life by Oona Chaplin.
Oona Chaplin on playing Varang
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. “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. “
She added, “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.”
Oona Chaplin explains Varang’s POV
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,” she said.
She described Varang as someone who carries anger rooted in deep, unresolved grief, a pain that continues to fuel her actions. Instead of avoiding her fears, Varang runs directly toward them. Chaplin noted that this instinct is, in many ways, the right one, Varang knows she must confront what frightens her. In an ideal world, she would approach those fears with a desire to heal. Instead, she chooses destruction, a path that ultimately casts her as a villain in the story.
Even so, Chaplin said she holds great respect for the character. To her, Varang is a remarkable leader and the true hero of her own people. In Chaplin’s view, Varang is nothing less than a revolutionary.
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.
