Who is Sam Worthington?

by Dee Brown on December 24th, 2009 · posted in Movies · 2 Comments

I was very surprised to see an relatively unknown actor taking over the lead in the mega-blockbuster movie, Avatar. You would think that director James Cameron would cast a more famous actor to drive movie sales. After all, in his last blockbuster, Titanic, he cast Leonardo DiCaprio, who was already a star before Titanic launched him to superstar status.

Actually, Cameron had a different philosophy for the profitability of Avatar. He knew that the movie would be very expensive, possibly breaking the record of most expensive movie to produce. To keep the costs down, he cast an unknown. Also, his name was associated with the movie and as a high profile director, it would be more than enough to attract legions of fans.

So, who is this unknown actor?

Sam Worthington is 33 years old and was born in England before moving to Perth, Australia, where he spent his childhood years. His dad was a blue-collar worker at a powerplant and his mom stayed at home.

At 12, he showed promise as an actor by winning a spot in a prestigious drama program. Also, he won a Shakespeare award. However, he dropped out of high school at 17 and found himself doing construction in Sydney. At 19, a girl he knew convinced him to audition for the National Institute of Dramatic Art. He was accepted and even got a scholarship. After graduation, he landed a theater role and a couple movie and TV roles.

Most people have not heard of him because he’s done most of his acting in Australian films and TV shows. He had some small roles in Hollywood movies but nothing that would get him on the mainstream media’s radar. He was one of the three finalists to play James Bond for the critically acclaimed 2006 film, Casino Royale. However, British actor Daniel Craig ultimately won the role.

Worthington had a major role as a cyborg in the fourth Terminator movie, Terminator Salvation, released earlier this year. Unfortunately, that movie was a flop and did not meet sales expectations.

In a video interview, Worthington gave some insight in the casting process of Avatar. To audition, he had to mail an audition tape to the studio. The studio did not give much information about the movie other than the two audition scenes. They did not even give the name of the director.

This lack of info frustrated Worthington and he did his audition with a rebellious, “screw this” attitude. Cameron saw his tape and said “That’s the spirit of Jake Sully.” Cameron flew Worthington to the US and they spent the next six months convincing the studio that he was the right guy for the role.

He told Cameron he had nothing to lose and was going to work hard to make Avatar a success. Cameron was impressed with Worthington’s work ethic and Worthington said he enjoyed working in the intense environment that Cameron is known for, with his 16 hour days and focus on detail.

This is a guest post by Dee Brown. He helps run a celeb gossip blog and loves following the entertainment industry.