Kate Winslet held her breath for over 7 minutes filming Avatar scene
“I wanted James [Cameron] to know right away, that’s the first thing I wanted to do."
After 13 years waiting, Avatar: The Way of Water will be hitting the big screen very soon.
The James Cameron sci-fi saga is set to be one of the cinematic events of the year, not least because of its stellar cast line-up which boasts the likes of returning faces Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña and Sigourney Weaver.
The sequel, which will be released on Friday 16th December in cinemas worldwide, is expected to be as mesmerising as the first if critics' reactions are anything to go by.
The film will see the Na'vi explore Pandora's oceans and, judging by the teaser trailer, there will be jaw-dropping landscapes, as well as a host of intriguing new creatures.
One actor who has garnered recent attention for the film, though, is none other than Kate Winslet.
Starring in the new film as Ronal, the big-name Hollywood actor can also most recently be seen in Channel 4's I Am Ruth alongside real-life daughter Mia Threapleton.
In The Way of Water, Winslet plays Ronal, a free-diving Na'vi of the reef tribe Metkayina, who is pregnant. While the sequel takes viewers underwater, Winslet herself has come away from the production with a rather impressive record of her own.
The average person can hold their breath for approximately one or two minutes but Winslet, who underwent rigorous training for the underwater acting role, managed to hold her breath for a staggering seven minutes and 14 seconds.
In an interview with Variety prior to the release of the film, Winslet and her cast mates shared how long they could hold their breath for.
Saldana shared: "Back when we were doing the training, and we had to shoot and you also wanted to be super cool around everybody, five and almost six minutes. Now? 30 seconds."
Similarly, Weaver said that she was able to "do a breath hold of six and a half minutes. But I’m not moving. I’m doing a static breath hold. And I probably had augmented oxygen."
Most impressively, though, Winslet shared her own time, which appears to be the lengthiest of the cast. Revealing more about it at a global press conference, Winslet also shared that she was able to get the moment caught on camera because of her husband sneaking onto set.
“I actually have a video of when I surface from that breath-hold. And the only reason I have it is because my husband snuck in," she shared.
“I said, ‘Please don’t come because I just don’t want you videoing. I’ll just feel pressure, just please don’t do that’ and he snuck in.”
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She continued: “I have the video of me surfacing saying, ‘Am I dead? Have I died?’ And then going ‘what was it?’ – straightaway I wanted to know my time.
“I couldn’t believe that it was 7:15 but having been told it’s 7:15 – you want to know what the next thing I say is? 'We need to radio set.'
“I wanted James to know right away, that’s the first thing I wanted to do – it definitely wasn’t a competition.”
The Avatar sequel has reunited Kate and director Cameron on set for the first time since 1997 blockbuster Titanic.
You can buy Avatar on DVD and Blu-ray from Amazon, or stream on Disney Plus if you subscribe for £79.90 a year or £7.99 a month.
Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage, consult our list of the best movies on Disney Plus or visit our TV Guide to find out what's on tonight.
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