Why Avatar: Fire and Ash Star Oona Chaplin Nearly Ditched Her Famous Last Name
Before stepping into Pandora, Avatar: Fire and Ash star Oona Chaplin nearly dropped the legendary surname that made her Hollywood royalty.
Oona Chaplin shows up in Avatar: Fire and Ash with the kind of last name that gets attention before she even speaks. Turns out, she seriously thought about ditching it.
The name thing
After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), Chaplin considered changing her name. Not because she was running from Charlie Chaplin, but because stepping into rooms that might only open for you because of a legendary grandfather is a mind game. As she told The Times, it took time to feel like she actually belonged there.
"It is been a journey to feel deserving, because I know that doors have opened for me that potentially wouldn’t have opened if I wasn’t associated with this brilliant man."
Why she kept it
She stuck with Chaplin after shifting from guilt to gratitude. In her words, she worked hard, accepted that nothing she does will eclipse what her grandfather did, and made peace with the ripple effect of her name. If people hear it, look him up, and end up watching his films, that is a win in her book. It is a surprisingly grounded take for someone carrying one of the most loaded surnames in movie history.
Would Charlie have liked Pandora?
Chaplin thinks so. She draws a line between Charlie Chaplin and James Cameron: different artists, same energy when it comes to total command of their craft and the scale of their ambition. Her read is that her grandfather would have been on board with the Avatar universe.
Who she plays in Fire and Ash
Chaplin is Varang, the Na'vi leader of the volcano-dwelling Mangkwan clan, better known as the Ash People. So yes, we are going full lava tribe this time.
Where you have seen her before
- Sherlock
- Game of Thrones
- The Crimson Field
- Black Mirror
- Taboo
- Treason
- ...and more
Avatar: Fire and Ash is in theaters now. If you are going, this is Chaplin's first big swing in a Hollywood blockbuster, and she is stepping into it with eyes wide open about what her last name brings with it, for better and worse.