‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ Bailey Bass Reveals Why She Finds Tsireya & Lo’ak Connection So ‘Beautiful’ (Exclusive)

low courtyard I spent two years immersed in the world of avatars🇧🇷 The 19-year-old joins the long-awaited sequel as Tsireya, the daughter of Tonowari and Ronal of the Metkayina clan. When the Sullies seek refuge with Metkayina, Tsireya helps them learn about this new way of life and the importance of connecting with water.

OR Avatar: The Path of Water star spoke EXCLUSIVELY with hollywood life about the training process to play Tsireya and the intense audition. Despite the physical rigors of her role, Bailey revealed that one of her most “unsettling” moments on set was when she had to be vulnerable. She also weighed heavily on Tsireya and Lo’ak’s relationship and Neteyam’s tragic death. Read our questions and answers below:

How was the training for you? I know that most of the cast have gone through freediving and scuba training, which is very intimidating for me.
Bass Baileys: I had to do freediving, diving, movement, but the interesting thing is that the Metkayina clan, which my character Tsireya is a part of, we have a new movement for them because they have a different structure. They’re surrounded by a different environment, so it was very new territory. Along with that, freediving. We spend a lot of time underwater. We had to develop a Na’vi swim. You’ve never seen the Na’vi swim the way the Metkayina do, so not only did I swim very differently from a human, I also used a special jetpack and fins.

Were you afraid? That’s a lot of work, especially if most of it is done underwater.
Bass Baileys: To be honest, in the audition process, we had to swim. They brought the last guys tryout to LA and I knew I had to swim soon. My mom knew I wasn’t a good swimmer and she took me to a local swim center for swimming lessons because she said, “We have to give you the best help. A canine paddle won’t work. When they did that audition, basically the swim audition, we had to dive 10 to 15 feet deep and pick up rings off the bottom of the pool, do a few laps in a small pool, and be in the water for 5 to 10 minutes. I must say that although we also had to hold our breath for a minute just to take the test, walking on water is very difficult. But after all this process, one of my favorite things to do is go to the sea when it’s cold, go far away and my mother gets very nervous when I go far away. I get into the water and feel so free. I am very grateful for that experience as I learned to become a better swimmer. I learned to hold my breath. As I am certified in scuba diving and freediving, I now also understand water safety. It was very exciting.

How long can you hold your breath?
Bass Baileys: Six minutes and 30 seconds on 50% oxygen.

There are so many physical elements to this role, but also emotional elements. How has this role challenged you as an actor and as a person?
Bass Baileys: People really think about stunts and say, “Were you nervous?” Yes, it was important to overcome the drowning, not wanting to drown, the fear of drowning. But once we got over that, the team was so phenomenal and it became second nature. The most stressful thing to do with people was being vulnerable. Jim Cameron writes scenes and characters that have a lot of depth, and there’s no boredom in a Jim Cameron film, so I had to be very vulnerable. Also, assuming a role similar to that of Zoe Saldana Neytiri’s character definitely has a lot of pressure. I would never say I felt the pressure on set but knowing I have a joke that said a lot of fans are in love with this right now, and I have to say how Tsireya and being vulnerable right now at the age of 14 has been probably the most stressful time in september.

Tsireya welcomes the Sullys sincerely as they seek refuge with her people. She is so welcoming and loving. What caught your attention the most about her?
Bass Baileys: Jim’s casting is very similar to his character, so I felt very similar to Tsireya. In fact, one of my friends who saw the movie came up to me and said, “Did I watch you being yourself for 3 hours?” For this reason I have not found anything. It was quite easy to play and I think one of the biggest gifts we got during the shoot was movement and dialect training early on. When I get close to a character, learning how he walks and how he talks is the key to playing him. We entered it in the 3 months of training. Then after that I was just being and Jim explaining the scenes in such detail before we acted out that there was a sense of ease.

Over the course of this project, have your feelings about the ocean, water and life changed your perspective on things and how you view life?
Bass Baileys: I’ve always been someone who stayed in the moment. I don’t think I ever said, “Wow, time went by so fast. Wow, this year is over.” I don’t know why. I guess I take everything as it is, and every night I thank God for one more day. I think I had that presence even at a young age. movie, since I haven’t played Tsireya for a few years, I’ve learned that you can always be nicer. I’ve definitely developed more like hardcore. I know that’s not a word, but I’ll say it. I don’t know if it’s just being exposed to New York City growing up, or just being in this business, being inspired by my mom… I’m definitely extremely independent.But all for the hottest celebrity news.