Reflecting on his 2009 film Avatar, the Oscar-winning director expresses remorse over his treatment of Michelle Rodriguez's character, Captain Trudy. Cameron admits that he deeply regrets the decision to end Captain Trudy's journey in the initial installment of the franchise.
James Cameron's Regret: Killing Off Captain Trudy in Avatar (2009)
When James Cameron cast Michelle Rodriguez in Avatar, she faced some controversy within Hollywood. Despite the reservations surrounding her personal life, Cameron chose to focus solely on her acting abilities. The 68-year-old director disregarded the rumors and firmly believed that as long as they didn't interfere with her work on set, he could overlook them.
Cameron saw Rodriguez as the perfect fit for the role of Captain Trudy Chacon and was thrilled when she accepted the offer. He praised her, saying, "I don't know anybody who came out of the shoot without an abiding affection for who she is as a person." Cameron was so taken with her and the character she portrayed that he was hesitant to kill her off in the first Avatar film, and now he deeply regrets his decision.
"The character of Trudy has this amazing integrity, and that's who Michelle [Rodriguez] is. I mean, I'm kind of kicking myself today that I killed her off."
Although Captain Trudy didn't survive the battle between the Na'vi and the humans, Rodriguez's career experienced a significant boost after her appearance in Avatar. She remains grateful to the iconic director of Titanic for turning her luck around. If her character had survived in the first film, there would have been a possibility of seeing her by Jake and Neytiri's side in the billion-dollar sequel.
James Cameron's Decision to Cast Michelle Rodriguez in Avatar
Michelle Rodriguez's acting career began on a high note with the 2000 sports drama, Girlfight. Following this breakthrough, she received an unexpected offer for a role she hadn't even auditioned for—The Fast and the Furious (2001). Rodriguez was taken aback by the opportunity.
During one of his adventure trips, James Cameron encountered a remarkable female pilot who left a lasting impression on him. The Resident Evil actress revealed, "I guess she made an impression on him because at one point she did this crazy difficult maneuver off of this glacier, and he almost shat his pants."
Intrigued by the female pilot's captivating personality, Cameron decided to create a character inspired by her for his science fiction film, Avatar. Rodriguez disclosed that after conceptualizing the character, Cameron thought of her and offered her the role.
Although her character didn't make it to the sequel, Rodriguez had the chance to work with the Oscar-winning director again in the 2019 cyberpunk action film Alita: Battle Angel, where Cameron served as one of the producers.
