For Jack Champion, there was no easing into the whole acting thing. At just age 12, Champion struck gold when he landed a major role in Avatar: The Way Of Water.
Now, six years later, on the eve of the film’s release and his 18th birthday, Champion reminisces with pride. “It’s really not that hard for a kid to pretend to be the character,” he says. “It’s no different from playing with your friends on a playground but, you know, professionally.”
Whether it be perfecting Navy Seal freediving techniques in the first month on set or forming familial bonds with Hollywood A-listers Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang, Avatar wasn’t exactly a shallow entry for Champion. Still, he worked hard to keep a normal life; he attended his high school prom and hit the landmarks of growing up like a“normal” kid.
“I wasn’t famous, so it didn’t get weird,” he says. “I was still Jack and hanging out with friends.” But, at the same time, “My teenage years were spent with 30-year-olds,” he continues.“I feel like an old soul sometimes.”As he grows into this sentiment, Champion is leaving behind motion-capture suits for Scream 6 and his swooshing Bieber cut for his natural curls.
Taking the lessons learned from his sudden immersion into the acting world with him, he has a skill set—and a toolbox of experiences and friends—to push forward with.
Story by Henry Chandonnet
Photography by Tyrell Hampton
Fashion by Michael Vasquez
Makeup by Holly Silius
Hair by Lauren Palmer Smith
Edited by Kevin Ponce / Dania Curvy
Photo assistant Khalilah Pianta
Production Photobomb
