Kate Winslet is well accustomed to working with director James Cameron on water-related scenes thanks to Titanic, though not underwater.

Reuniting with Cameron for Avatar 2, Winslet shared in an interview with Collider that the underwater filming sequences for his long-awaited sequel felt safer than shooting on land.

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Winslet discussed what it was like to film underwater after the interview brought up a recent image of her from the set of Avatar 2, where she's submerged underwater in a winged diving suit. She remembered, "Walking on the bottom of the tank... That's a big ceremonial sequence with those huge heavy wings. That was quite scary. The thing is, when you can hold your breath for seven minutes, you become unafraid. Actually, strangely, I was able to rely on my own ability to hold my breath for that long. Somehow I was not afraid, at all."

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Winslet specifically noted several safety precautions Cameron put in place during underwater scenes to mitigate risks, like assigning two safety divers to every performer and camera. "I probably felt safer down there than I did on dry land," Winslet said. "I found the whole thing incredibly calming. There was something very meditative to me, and I don't meditate. I can't switch my brain off. I'm too busy. I love doing yoga, but I can only do it for about 25 minutes, and then... I get bored... But somehow, learning how to [do a] breath-hold was one of the most calming things I've ever done because you have to slow your body down. You actually have to lower your heart rate to be able to oxygenate your body and subsequently hold your breath for that long. So, I had no choice but to stop fucking moving."

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Since Avatar's release in 2009, Cameron spent more than a decade working on what comes next within his sci-fi narrative about the Na'vi aliens of planet Pandora. Cameron chose to have several of Avatar 2's scenes filmed underwater, which led his cast members to learn diving techniques in Hawaii so that they could perform while submerged. In late September, production on Avatar 2 finished.

Written and directed by James Cameron, Avatar 2 stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, Edie Falco, Kate Winslet, Oona Chaplin, Vin Diesel, Michelle Yeoh and David Thewlis. The film arrives in theaters on Dec. 16, 2022, followed by Avatar 3 on Dec. 20, 2024, Avatar 4 on Dec. 18, 2026 and Avatar 5 on Dec. 22, 2028.

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Source: Collider