Commander Zhao actor Ken Leung mistook his ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ audition as a casting call for James Cameron’s masterpiece.

Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender recently released on the streaming platform on February 22nd, 2024. The live-action series which is a remake of the popular 2005 animated show, has been at the center of a lot of discussions prior to its release. From speculations about changes to key characters to modification of plotlines, not all the hype surrounding the show has been positive.

Netflix, in an effort to raise excitement and expectations, chose to keep the audition process under wraps by giving away very little information regarding the casting of characters. This approach led to quite a bit of confusion even for prospective actors like Ken Leung. Not being aware of the original series, Leung mistook the ‘Avatar’ in the title as a casting call for James Cameron’s epic masterpiece.

This Avatar: The Last Airbender Actor Was Lost In Translation

The Netflix live-action series Avatar: The Last Airbender has been consistently creating various talking points in the lead-up to its release on the platform. In a departure from the usual method, Netflix chose to create an off-beat approach to auditions by playing its cards close to its chest. This also included keeping the whole process very secretive for prospective actors while deliberately disguising the narrative.

Ken Leung who plays Commander Zhao in the series, revealed the interesting situation he was put in as a result of this tactic by Netflix. Not being familiar with the original series, his presumption of the word ‘Avatar’ in the title of the film immediately evoked the only possible response inside his head namely James Cameron’s visual masterpiece. In an interview with Deadline Hollywood, the actor said,

“When I first heard it was Avatar, I thought I was going to be blue.” 

Leung went on to add that this alternative approach of getting people on board gave him the opportunity to enter the film with a blank canvas, which he could then develop on without any preconceived notions about the existing narrative and the nuances of his character.

In recent memory, Sydney Sweeney too was a victim of a similar confusion when she mistook Madame Web as being an MCU film instead of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. With Avatar: The Last Airbender not exactly setting the streaming space on fire, Ken Leung may just be wishing that he could have turned blue instead.

Avatar: The Last Airbender Is Making M. Night Shyamalan’s Film Look Like A Masterpiece

There’s not a lot of positive responses coming the way of Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender. In fact, the live-action series is getting brutal flak online with hardcore fans of the franchise ripping it apart without remorse. Having already thrown up some controversial discussions regarding character arcs and plotline changes, the show does not seem to have risen above these pre-release criticisms. One fan on X was scathing with her comments when she wrote,

“Just watched the Avatar live action series on netflix & gosh the tears in my eyes. The directing, editing, the dialogue, the cinematography, the acting, the production, the cgi..everything was garbage from beginning to end. Definitely the worst thing I’ve ever watched in my life.”

Possibly the biggest insult for the show came with its comparison to M. Night Shyamalan’s 2010 version, The Last Airbender. The film was a dismal failure at the box office and did no favors to Shyamalan’s reputation after his success with the brilliant The Sixth Sense. But it seems that Avatar: The Last Airbender has earned the dubious distinction of making the Unbreakable director’s film look like a cult classic.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is streaming on Netflix.