Filipino-Canadian Gordon Cormier Is the New Avatar—Here's What We Know About Him
He wasn't even born yet when ATLA first aired on Nickelodeon.
(SPOT.ph) Cult classic animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender is coming to our screens once more—with Gordon Cormier taking on the role of Avatar Aang, on a quest to master the four elements and restore peace, in the latest live-action adaptation series by Netflix.
To say that news of Cormier's casting in 2021 threw the world into a frenzy is an understatement, and now, at 13 years old (he was 11 during filming!) the Filipino-Canadian actor is set to bring balance, harmony, and redemption to the fans and casual Nickelodeon viewers alike.
Cormier gave the Philippines a glimpse of the childlike wonder of Aang during a press conference for the series on February 21. Along with Dallas Liu who plays the exiled son of Fire Lord Ozai Crown Prince Zuko, both actors shared behind-the-scenes preparations for the iconic characters—from watching the animated series more than 30 times to initial reactions when they got the roles.
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Who is Gordon Cormier?
We already know he started playing Aang at 11, but Cormier—full name Gordon Kyle Diez Cormier—began auditioning for commercials at the wee age of nine years old. He had a few appearances here and there while attending Vancouver Young Acting School in Vancouver, Canada where he was born and raised.
Cormier likes to skate and is described by Dallas as free-spirited (kind of like our Avatar Aang).
But the Philippines is his homeland, he says. Gordon is of Filipino descent, thanks to his mother being Filipina. The pandemic hindered him from making more visits to the country, but he has visited thrice.
His debut role was in the 2017 American comedy-drama series Get Shorty. You can also see him in the 2018 sci-fi series Lost in Space and the post-apocalyptic fantasy miniseries The Stand as a young boy-turned-ward named Joe.
How Gordon Cormier prepared for the role of Aang in Avatar
"When we all shot the series, I was 11 years old," he shared. "I feel like I've grown up quite a bit. But even in the original series, it only takes place in three months but you could see Aang growing as a person... and even physically a little bit. Season three Aang—I wouldn't say shredded but..."
He shared that he watched the series around 35 times now.
Tapping into Aang's happy, childlike personality is a no-brainer for Cormier. Heck, it radiated even in the press conference. Even he himself could say that he's the most similar to his character. "I think you could tell," he says with a cheeky nod to the audience, who all laughed in return.
The emotional side posed a challenge, though.
All the characters also underwent boot camp training for six weeks for martial arts and bending.
Gordon Cormier's initial reaction to getting the role
To summarize it in three words: Tears. Crying. Happiness.
"They said it was between me and a few other people and they said they want to get to know me," Cormier said. "So, I went in there and they started talking and talking—I have no clue what's going on—and they end up getting into saying 'We searched the whole world for Aang and then we found him, living fifteen minutes away from the studio.'"
It didn't dawn on him at first. "I'm like, 'You found him?' That's like a really mean way of telling me I didn't get the role," he adds. "But eventually I figured it all out."
"Crying about booking a job even though he didn't know what Avatar is," Dallas jokes beside him. "... because he wasn't even born yet."
You read that right. Cormier wasn't even born when the first season of Avatar aired on Nickelodeon. Cormier was born in 2009 while the series premiered in 2005 and ran until 2008, ending just a year earlier than Cormier's birth. Feel old yet?
It was a very long audition process for Cormier. There was a self-tape, two callbacks, and three chemistry reads (two of which were with Liu).
What you should know about Avatar: The Last Airbender on Netflix
Avatar: The Last Airbender follows the story of Aang, the last Air Nomad, and the next Avatar, with his friends Katara and Sokka in their quest to restore balance and harmony among the world's four nations while evading the Fire Nation and its Crown Prince Zuko.
Cormier and Liu are joined by Ian Ousley and Kiawentiio who play siblings and members of the Southern Water Tribe Sokka and Katara as well as Daniel Dae Kim as Fire Lord Ozai and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Uncle Iroh.
The series is helmed by Albert Kim (Sleepy Hollow, Nikita) along with Jabbar Raisani (Lost in Space, Stranger Things) and Michael Goi, alongside directors Roseanne Liang and Jet Wilkinson. Netflix's live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender premieres February 22. We'll be getting a grand total of eight episodes on the streaming platform.
There was a live-action adaptation film called The Last Airbender in 2010.
Watch the trailer for Avatar: The Last Airbender below:
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this strange new world.