Varang, the seductive leader of the Mangkwan clan—also known as the Ash People—is the most dynamic character in Avatar: Fire and Ash. She’s physically powerful (and often wielding flaming arrows or dual blades); she’s full of rage and intensity. And she’s brought to life by Oona Chaplin, who’s best known for playing Robb Stark’s ill-fated wife on Game of Thrones—and for being the granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin, as well as the great-granddaughter of Eugene O’Neill.
But back when she first auditioned for the third film in James Cameron’s epic film series, Chaplin was as far away from the world of showbiz as she could get: living in a tree house she built herself in Cuba. “There was very, very little in this world that would’ve taken me out of the tree house. But the call from James Cameron certainly did,” she tells Vanity Fair.
Before decamping for Cuba, Chaplin had been working in the Calais Jungle—a refugee and immigrant encampment in the vicinity of Calais, France. After that incredibly difficult experience, she needed to go off the grid. “I’d gone through a little bit of a personal life crisis, and I decided to live in a tree house in the jungle in Cuba,” she says. “I built it with a couple of drunken neighbors.”
Chaplin actually shot the role in 2017, when Cameron filmed The Way of Water and Fire and Ash simultaneously. She had to spend nearly a decade keeping details about her character secret. “But because the process was so rich and fulfilling, there was a part of me that kind of put it to bed,” she says. “I was like, ‘cool. Even if the film never comes out, I’m happy.’ I feel like I accomplished and learned so much as a person, as an artist.” Since then, Chaplin has gotten married, had a child, and moved to Sonoma County, California, where she lives on a 20-acre farm with her family.
Now that Avatar: Fire and Ash is finally out, Chaplin spoke to Vanity Fair about her transformational journey, her surprising inspiration for the fiery leader, and what it’s like to carry the last name Chaplin.
James Cameron and Oona Chaplin on set.© 20th Century Studios/Everett Collection.
