Gordon Cormier and Dallas Liu, the lead stars of Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender, made a landmark arrival in Manila on Friday for the epic event celebrating the premiere of the live-action series.
The young actors, who play Aang and Prince Zuko respectively, received a warm welcome from regional press, content creators, and Filipino fans as they spent a day full of activities to promote the highly-anticipated adaptation of the beloved animated show.
During the press conference held at Marquis Events Place in BGC, Cormier, a Filipino-Canadian, shared his excitement and gratitude for landing the iconic role of Aang, the last surviving airbender and the reincarnated Avatar.
“Tears. Crying. Happiness.” Cormier said, describing his reaction when he found out he got the part. “When we first shot the series, I was 11 years old, so I feel like I’ve grown up quite a bit. The happy side of Aang is quite easy for me because… you know. I think you could tell,” he added with a laugh, referring to his cheerful personality.
Cormier also admitted that he faced some challenges in portraying Aang’s emotional side, especially when dealing with the trauma and responsibility of being the Avatar.
Liu, on the other hand, revealed how he tapped into the negativity and complexity of Prince Zuko, the banished and conflicted son of the Fire Lord who pursues Aang throughout the series.
“I really had to tap into the negativity of Prince Zuko and what he’s going through. There are different points in my life that I have to pull from specifically that I think worked well for specific scenes,” Liu said.
Liu also expressed his confidence that the cast and crew were able to “ground” their characters and bring them to life in a way that feels familiar and authentic to the fans.
“I’m really excited for you guys to see it. I know you guys are stoked for it,” he said, hinting at the impressive fight scenes and special effects that the series boasts.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is now streaming on Netflix. The series is a live-action adaptation of the critically acclaimed animated show of the same name, which follows the adventures of Aang and his friends as they try to end the war waged by the Fire Nation against the other nations of the world.
