Oona Chaplin: ‘I told James Cameron that I was living in a treehouse and starting a permaculture project with a friend’

What ultimately brought Oona Chaplin, 39, and James Cameron together was something very different from the glitz of premieres, red carpets, or the machinery surrounding a blockbuster like Avatar. Or perhaps not so different, considering the unmistakable environmental message of the highest-grossing film franchise in history.

“We talked for about 40 minutes about the earth,” says the Spanish actress over a video call. “I told him I was living in a treehouse and starting a permaculture project with a friend. We talked about alfalfa, soil potassium, organic and biodynamic farming… He’s very involved in all of that.”

A few months later, the role she had poured her heart into during the casting process — the fearsome leader of the tribe that challenges the main clan in Avatar: Fire and Ash — was hers. It’s hard, even for one of the most admired filmmakers in the world, not to be captivated by the combination of talent, determination, and magnetism of an actress who, after her success on Game of Thrones, chose to step away from the noise to focus on her personal — and intellectual — journey. She is now a mother to a two-year-old daughter and returns with the serenity of someone who has lived many lives, ready to embody a villainess destined to make history.

Question. You haven’t given interviews to Spanish media for a few years, so we’ve lost track of you a bit. How are you?

Answer. Very well. I’ve had a daughter, and I’ve been in full mom mode; I spend every day with her. We live in the countryside, in a community we’ve created with friends. There are lots of children running around, and we have chickens, hens… We had lambs, but a puma ate them [laughs]. My life now is like a fairy tale. I feel at peace and ready to go back to work after three years. What a treat that my return is with Avatar.

Q. Let’s talk about Avatar: Fire and Ash. What’s it like to join such a massive production?

A. It was one of the greatest moments of my life. It was 2017, and I had just been in Cuba with friends, building a treehouse in the jungle. I remember thinking, “This is what I want to do from now on: live in the countryside, alone, I don’t care about anything else.” But the opportunity arose to meet the casting director of Avatar, and I thought it would be a good excuse to leave the treehouse [laughs]. I identified with my character because at that time I was very connected to the injustices of the world; I felt a lot of anger. I met James Cameron, and although he’s intimidating, he exudes a contagious passion. He’s a hero, a genius who made me feel capable and supported. I told myself, “There’s no shame here, no second chances. I’m giving it my all, and whatever happens, happens.”

Q. Given the first two Avatar movies — among the highest-grossing of all time — had already been released, did it feel like you were joining a production that was in full swing?

A. Exactly. It was very easy to fit into an already established dynamic. There was a very solid way of working, a supportive, caring, and nurturing environment. The story, the artists, the team… Everything was incredibly high quality. It’s another level: thousands of people, geniuses in their fields, giving their all every day. It’s truly impressive.

Q. On that huge set, with hundreds of cameras recording every movement, what is the biggest challenge for an actress?

A. The experience is completely different because your body is being filmed from every angle; you’re constantly in close-up. None of the usual filmmaking worries — the lighting, the hair, the shot — matter. There’s only the actor, their imagination, and the truth of the moment. I hadn’t felt that freedom since working in theater. James is a master and uses his power very generously: he tells you, “You’re in the yard, play, create.” The hardest part was convincing myself that I could inhabit that beast of a woman and convince the audience that I had the strength within me to be a leader.

Q. You play Varang, the film’s antagonist. She is a young queen to her tribe, but also a character marked by trauma.

A. Varang is the perfect example of how people who feel pain cause pain. Her people suffered great devastation; they felt abandoned, and she knew how to channel that despair and turn it into fuel. They are almost invincible because pain, when truly felt, is a very powerful emotion. That is also reflected in today’s world. There are very angry victims who have turned their legitimate fury into something destructive; there are victims who are causing harm because they haven’t healed their own pain. I am calmer, more inclined to apologize, so I had to ignite that fire within myself.

Q. Have you retained any of that strength from the character?

A. She has changed me. Now I feel I can occupy more space, both inside and outside of myself. Interestingly, that’s also an act of generosity: when you feel comfortable, others feel comfortable too. She has taught me the power of conviction. Even though she’s twisted, she knows who she is; she has no doubts. That certainty has inspired me, and I’m practicing it in my mind and spirit. I’m growing toward that place.

Q. Years ago you said that all you wanted was “a little less chaos in the world.” Do you still long for that?

A. I’ve stopped wanting less chaos, because chaos is alive and it’s happening for a reason. All the turmoil we see — this level of discord, confusion, people not listening to each other — is absolutely necessary for the present moment. It’s happening all over the world, and for a reason. So I’m learning to listen and to take responsibility for what is within my control: my emotions, my opinions, my actions… It helps me stop blaming others for everything.

Q. James Cameron has a reputation for being a very demanding filmmaker. What was it like filming under that intensity?

A. Like a luxury. James deeply loves the world he’s created, and it shows. He knows how to do everyone’s job on set better than anyone else, except for the actors and the cooks [laughs]. He’s like Prince, who could play every instrument. I have nothing but admiration for him. When he was tough on me, he did it in the best way, helping me so much in my life as well as in my career. He never disrespected me; it was more like, “Get your act together, come on!” Always with kindness, respect, and charisma.

Q. You’ve always said that you didn’t know if you wanted to be an actress when you grew up. Do you know now?

A. Yes, I want to be an actress because I love telling stories. I’ve always had an internal conflict about deserving things… This job is a privilege, and coming from a family like mine, with my mother [Spanish actress] Geraldine Chaplin and grandfather [Charlie Chaplin], I sometimes felt I didn’t deserve it. Since becoming a mother, I’ve realized that nobody deserves anything, that “deserving” is just a fantasy we create for ourselves. I felt free when I understood that the only thing we can do is be grateful for the opportunities and do our best. I love telling stories that uplift people, like Avatar. I also love the small, everyday ones: I put on plays at home with my daughter every day.

Q. You don’t usually make appearances at galas or on red carpets…

A. They’ve never been part of my world. I live on a farm, in a community, and I dedicate a large part of my time to making that community work. Also, for the last 15 years I’ve devoted a lot of energy to studying Indigenous peoples, learning their way of seeing and understanding reality. That takes up a lot of space in my life. I’m not afraid of the other world, but I don’t enjoy it as much as other people do. I enjoy this little corner of the universe.

Q. You are the daughter and granddaughter of legends, but your family also includes refugees and exiles. How do you reconcile these two realities?

A. I think that’s why I’m a bit of a nomad. I don’t have roots in just one place. I was born in Spain, I make the Castilian “th” sound [for the “s” sound], I like flamenco and chorizo, but I’m not Spanish. Nor am I Chilean or Romani… I’m all those pieces that have scattered around the world. Now I live in California, where my grandfather was forced to leave. I don’t feel at home anywhere, and yet I feel at home everywhere. Now I want to put down roots, connect with a place. Learn how the wind moves throughout the year and recognize the songs of the birds.

Q. In this desire to put down roots, is there a chance you might return to working in Spain?

A. I would love to work there again. It’s very important to me that my daughter lives in Spain and speaks Spanish. Doing a project there would be a way for her to experience that culture, but ultimately I go where I’m wanted and where the stories flow with the current of my life. It’s true that I’ve fallen off the radar in many countries, but I found myself in my own life. I spent two years making Avatar and disappeared into Pandora [the alien moon in Avatar]; then the pandemic came, I met my husband, we started looking for land…

Q. Are there any Spanish habits or expressions that still come out without you meaning to, even though you live in California?

A. One of the first things I taught my daughter to say is “ajo y agua” [literally garlic and water, a way of saying “deal with it”]. She doesn’t know what it means, and I try not to use it much because it’s not very polite, but these traditional expressions just come out. I recently inherited some Galician cookbooks, and I want to study them because I learned to cook when I was 22, after I had already left the country. What I miss most about Spain is the culture of eating, drinking, and sitting down to a meal. I’m fascinated by that culture surrounding food, and I want to bring it back into my life.

Q. You’ve gone from Game of Thrones to independent cinema, from Black Mirror to Avatar… Is your career guided by instinct or by a clear sense of direction?

A. My heart is my guide. My heart always decides, and in that moment I know whether something is for me or not. I like variety as an actress, being able to explore the different realities of being human.

Q. Do you have any mementos of your grandfather, Charlie Chaplin?

A. I have one of his coats. I’m not going to tell you what it’s made of because it’s a bit illegal… It was his, from his personal wardrobe. I hardly ever wear it, but every now and then, I take it out and think it’s okay to use it.

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