At the press day for the espionage thriller The Debt – about three Mossad secret agents who track down a Nazi war criminal in East Berlin in 1966, only to have the mission not turn out as planned – actor Sam Worthington gave brief updates on Clash of the Titans 2 and the development of the Avatar sequels. He also talked about his next role, as a surf photographer in Drift, which will film in Australia.
While we’ll run the portion of the interview about The Debt closer to that film’s August 31st release date, hit the jump for what he had to say about his other projects:
Question: Of all the big films you’ve been a part of, are you surprised that Clash of the Titans is the one that’s getting a sequel first?
SAM WORTHINGTON: Not necessarily because it made a shitload of money. With Jim [Cameron], it comes down to Jim. Titans made a lot of money. A lot of people went and saw it. We’ve just got to make it right. I’ve just finished that. I loved it! I loved that experience. Clash 2 is so different. It was a different experience for me because I’d learned a lot from Clash 1, and I’d learned a lot from other movies. I can’t wait for that to come out. But, I’m not surprised at all.
And you had a different director, right?
WORTHINGTON: Yeah. I wouldn’t mind working with Jonathan Liebesman for the rest of my life. I love him!
What more classic monsters are there to slay?
WORTHINGTON: You’ll have to wait and see!
It was a different experience for you, but is it also a different film from the first one?
WORTHINGTON: You’ll have to wait and see!
What do you hear from Jim Cameron about Avatar 2 and 3?
WORTHINGTON: Jim talked to me on my birthday. In regards to Avatar, he’s writing the bible, at the moment, which is a precursor to Avatar 1 and the whole world, basically. I think it’s just to get Jim’s mind back into the characters and back into the world. He’s told me where he wants to take Avatar 2 and 3, and it’s monumental. It’s just huge! But, you’d expect nothing less from him. He’s not going to start it until he’s 100%. I know they’re setting up shop down in Manhattan Beach, and when he says jump, I jump.
Is the idea of doing the second and third film back-to-back exciting for you?
WORTHINGTON: I love it! I’d do 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 with Jim. I love working with him. He raises the bar and gives you the courage to jump over it, and he keeps pushing. He changes your life. He hasn’t just change my life, career wise. He’s changed my life, as a man, which is nice.
In what way?
WORTHINGTON: He makes you stronger, in the sense of being more focused and committed. He’s told me that, if I’m doing this job, I’ve got to challenge myself more, and not listen to anybody else, and not listen to any media or bloggers, but just listen to myself. I’ve got to push myself, or there’s no point in me doing this. If I don’t believe I’m growing, and I believe I’m just coasting, then I’ve got to get off the train. If I feel I’m growing, I have to keep going. It’s a long marathon.
Could you ever see yourself directing?
WORTHINGTON: Yeah, I’d love to.
How is Drift going?
WORTHINGTON: I’m about to go down [to Australia] and do that. The boys are down there filming already, and the waves are big. But in the movie, I play a surf photographer. I don’t actually get on a board. I said, “You’re not paying me enough to show the world what I can do,” and they laughed and thought I was an idiot. That’s going to be a lot of fun. Where we’re going, the waves are huge. They’re big. They’re the second or third biggest on the planet. We’ve got an actor in it who’s only been surfing for eight weeks, and they towed him into a wave as big as a room. That poor fucker is scared shitless. I’m looking forward to it and he’s going, “Help! Why am I doing this movie? Why did you convince me to do it, Sam?”