'An incredible experience': Exotic Greenland impresses cast of The Last Airbender
Director M. Night Shyamalan is making the transition from a thriller with a twist ending to an action fantasy with a built-in fan base.
Shyamalan made a name for himself with 1999's spooky The Sixth Sense, then 2002's eerie Signs. Now, he's bringing the popular Nickelodeon animated fantasy series, The Last Airbender, to the big screen.
Opening July 1, Noah Ringer plays the adolescent Aang, who's the chosen one forced to unite Air, Water and Earth synergies against the Fire Lord and the evil prince, portrayed by Slumdog Millionaire's male lead, Dev Patel.
Coming to Aang's aid as he ventures to the North Pole on a quest for world peace is Katara, a spunky young girl played by newcomer Nicola Peltz. Joining them is her warrior brother Sokka, played by Jackson Rathbone, best known as Jasper in the Twilight series.
Part special-effects action fable and martial-arts extravaganza, The Last Airbender was also a cinematic challenge, according to Rathbone and Peltz, who appeared together at a Toronto hotel to promote the Shyamalan movie:In particular, it was the two-week shoot in Greenland last March that impressed cast and crew.
"It was an incredible experience, and so elusive," said Rathbone, 25.
"We got to the sets by helicopter, because we were filming on icebergs," added 15-year-old Peltz.
In the end, the Greenland experience helped underscore the exotic nature of the film.
"The scenery is so amazing; I think some people will think it's CGI (computer-generated imagery)in the movie," said Rathbone, "but it isn't."
The isolation also helped Peltz and Rathbone bond even more as Airbender brother and sister. "The hardest part was acting under extreme weather, like when you feel that your eyeballs are going to freeze," said Rathbone. "But you had to get past it and count on each other."
Peltz and Rathbone became friends during their martial-arts Airbender boot camp, where they learned movements required by their characters. By the time they got to Ilulissat, Greenland, their base of operations, they were relating as quasi-siblings.
"One of the first things he did was shove me into a snowbank," said Peltz.
Peltz, born and raised in Westchester County, N.Y., grew up with four older brothers, two younger brothers and a sister. She worked as a child model in Manhattan before opting for an acting career her mother didn't embrace.
"She was afraid of all the rejection I'd get," said Peltz, who did suffer through unsuccessful auditions for a few years.
Peltz's Airbender part is a major debut, and is getting lots of positive pre-release buzz.
In fact, Rathbone said Shyamalan was so impressed with the Peltz audition, he said he wouldn't have done the movie without her, "which is a testament to her talent."
She also continues her Twilight association with Robert Pattinson of Edward Cullen fame: Both have signed on for the Madeleine Stowe-directed Unbound Captives, which also stars Hugh Jackman.
"I think it's going to be amazing," Peltz said of the Stowe movie scheduled to start filming next year. "But I am not allowed to talk much about it."
As most Twilight fans know, Jackson is busy, too. He will reprise his Jasper role in the Breaking Dawn two-part movie, which starts shooting in October.
Born in Singapore, he never anticipated the Twilight frenzy. His family travelled the world before settling in L.A., where he dabbled in rock music and tried his hand at acting, landing low-profile guest parts in The O.C. and Close To Home, among other TV and film jobs. Then came the coveted role of Jasper Hale in the Twilight Series.
Before Breaking Dawn starts filming, he has booked a summer tour with his group, 100 Monkeys. But he's fine with the Twilight faction attending the concerts.
In fact, he's resigned himself to the fame that arrives with the Twi-hard fans, who even showed up in large numbers for his recent Airbender promotional duties at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn. "Oh, absolutely, he has fans wherever we go," confirmed Peltz.
So Rathbone might be the person to ask: Who will win the box-office battle between The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, opening June 30, and The Last Airbender in 3-D, on July 1?
"I really don't think they are up against each other," Rathbone said diplomatically. "I think kids will have a great time at both over the holidays."
Source =>Vancouver Sun / Via => Jackson Rathbone Source
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