Out of all of the feats that Avatar: The Way of Water has accomplished, some of the most impressive didn’t require the assistance of CGI. With several members of the cast learning to free dive for the underwater sequences featured in the massively popular sci-fi movie, a lot of the hype for the long-awaited sequel centered around this physically practical feat.
However, for actor Bailey Bass, that part of the job was, at least in the beginning, her “least favorite thing to do.” Bass took part in an interview with Shape, and talked about the pressure that came with her Avatar 2 role of Tsireya. A member of the aquatic-based Metkayina Tribe, the young Na'vi is one of the characters who help the Sully family learn The Way of Water in their exile from the forests of Pandora.
As Bailey Bass continued to progress with her story, she revealed that her continued experience with freediving soon turned into something else altogether:
[Freediving] started out being my least favorite thing to do in training. And I ended up excelling more than most of the cast members, which I say kindly and proudly, because to be so nervous, to take forever to put a wet suit on, to be so out of your body, to then, at the end of filming, have that be your favorite thing to do, shows tremendous growth.
Bailey Bass’s enthusiasm for Avatar: The Way of Water’s underwater challenges puts her in some good company in the Avatar family. Kate Winslet’s record-setting underwater performance probably puts her in a similar camp as Bass when talking up the aquatic antics the movie required. Though the claims made by Bass on “excelling” past some co-stars have us wondering just how she stacks up against the Titanic veteran.
It’s a good thing the experience of underwater filming grew on Bailey Bass, as her character will probably factor into future Avatar installments. At the very least, Tsireya is probably going to be present in Avatar 3, which was filmed back-to-back with Avatar: The Way of Water for various logistical reasons. While there will be more of a focus on the antagonistic Ash People in the next sequel, I'd assume there’s surely going to be some sort of assistance coming from the Pandoran water tribe.
While we can speculate about where the Avatar sequels could be going, the exact details are known only by people James Cameron trusts. As those sequels are now assured thanks to Avatar 2’s success, there just might be more freediving awaiting in the future. With any luck, Bailey Bass will keep loving freediving, and continue to give her cast mates some friendly competition.
Avatar: The Way of Water is still swimming strong in a theater near you, and probably will be for some time. If you want to make it a double feature, you can pair your showing of the sequel with the first Avatar, which is currently streaming for Disney+ subscription holders.
