Some Production Notes about Jake

[aoitennyo]

Disclaimer: Found this link on AF, and while I value this article for much more than just what it says about Jake (he's just a small part about what makes Avatar amazing to me, in fact, my attraction to him is more like a huge added bonus than a main focus) I've been noticing that there's been alot of attention paid to the same crude, minute details of some of his physical features and we really haven't been talked about who he is as a person in a while. Sure, we've already gone over why we like his personality many times, but it's been a while since we have and I've gotten a little tired of the same old popsicle and rope jokes. Don't get me wrong, these discussions are fun, but you don't fall in love with someone because of kinky jokes and not so subtle innuendos.

That being said, I was reading the full production notes and I found some interesting stuff they (being JC and Co) wrote about Jake and his character. It's pretty cool!

despite his broken body, Jake is still a warrior at heart

Jake is a former Marine who places honor and duty above all, but he must eventually choose between his personal honor, in defense of what is right, and his supposed duty to those who have tasked him with his mission.

I love that in a person, willing to give it all, willing to die for a cause bigger than himself. I didn't see much of this conflict in the movie (apparently there were more scenes dealing with his internal struggles that were cut), but it is still an appealing aspect to his character.

Jake becomes the “wrong guy” to have placed in such a volatile position. When he finds himself torn between the Na’vi and the RDA forces that are bent on destroying their ancestral home of 10,000 years, Jake takes action. And all hell breaks loose.

HELL yeah! Take that Selfridge! HA! *fist pump* I loved when he looks up at Jake when the humans are walking onto the shuttle. I can only imagine what was going through his head. I see him smashing his head against the wall repeatedly for allowing Jake to join the avatar program XD. I bet he'd wished that they hadn't been so eager to replace Tom and had actually um, screened Jake, just in case, you know, he fell in love with a Na'vi girl and her culture, "went native" and brought the entire mining operations to ruins. Minor detail.

AVATAR explores the hero’s journey of Jake Sully, a wounded former Marine confined to a wheelchair, whose bravery and destiny help define a world he didn’t even know existed. When Jake is recruited to travel to the moon Pandora to take on an enormous challenge – the details of which he is initially unaware – he barely hesitates. “Jake had joined the Marines for the hardship, to test himself,” says Cameron. “So when he’s asked to travel to Pandora, he picks up his pack and, as the Marines would say, ‘grunts on.’”

Awesome

Jake’s disability, hard-headedness and courage make him an immediately recognizable and relatable figure. “He’s an everyman with an emotional resonance to which audiences can relate,” says Landau

At first I thought of Jake as just an everyman, and he is, but then I started talking with these awesome, crazed fangirls, and I began to see how he could be interpreted as much more. Heck, he may just be an everyman, but it's fun to try to see more .

Jake is a rich and complex character with a rare combination of passion, strength, street smarts and soul. It’s a role requiring a lot from an actor – a fact that Cameron acknowledged when he, Landau and casting director Margery Simkin began their search to fill the part. “The trick about Jake was not writing the character,” says Cameron. “The trick was finding the guy to play him.”

I completely agree about Jake, he is indeed a multi-faceted character (like I've said, skx'awng vs. Toruk Makto), and I can't imagine anyone else playing him. Of course I'm so used to Sam now, but I doubt someone like Matt Damon (nothing against the guy but no, just no) could make me fall in love with the character.

After spending months looking at actors in the U.S. and Europe, Simkin reported to Cameron that she found a candidate…in Australia. Sam Worthington, Simkin told the filmmaker, had a “visceral quality and would make audiences believe that people would follow him. There was an intelligence and intensity in his eyes that never wavered.”

Oh absolutely. We've talked alot about his eyes and their captivating qualities. And yes, I love that "visceral" quality in a man, that kind of physical, aggressive presence.

For Cameron and Landau, Worthington was worth the wait. “I think one of the hardest things to find in an actor of Sam’s age is a combination of sensitivity, vulnerability and strength, and Sam has all of that,” says Landau.

Yes he does! Pretty much sums up what I like about Jake in a nutshell . Vulnerability and strength, light-heartedness/humor and passion, casual goofiness and honor.

There's more to this article about Sam/Jake, and a whole lot more about the movie overall, and I definitely recommend reading it .

[Dreamwalker]

Okay, so I saw this on AF and skimmed through it...but I'm loving those notes!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for making this! I was honestly growing tired of the other stuff (not that I don't participate ) so...I guess I'll read the whole thing now and maybe comment later. Since I have nothing else to do XD.

edit:
So, I definitely didn't read the whole thing. But I still did read quite a bit

"But despite his broken body, Jake is still a warrior at heart."

I love that. This reminds me of one of the deleted scenes in the script. The bar scene. I think what was happening was a woman was being harassed and Jake, in his wheelchair and all, went up to the guy who was harassing her and throws himself at him. I mean, wow. That's like...awesome, for lack of a better word He seems to have a knack for defending those who can't seem to defend themselves (or who don't know how).

"he learns to respect the Na'vi way"

I would say that could be an understatement. I'd say he more "embraced" it. At first, he may have thought it was silly, but as he learned to See more than just "pagan voodoo" to quote Grace XD, you can see the look on his face sometimes as he is learning (like the Great Leonopteryx scene) where he is taking it all in. The movie doesn't show him complaining once.

"places honor and duty above all, but he must eventually choose between his personal honor, in defense of what is right, and his supposed duty to those who have tasked him with his mission."

Well, as we can see, he clearly chose honor. Which was definitely not the easy choice. It would have been so much easier to just back out, pack his bags, and go back to Earth and get his legs back while he had the chance, but he chose not to. He had fallen in love with something, found his "something worth fighting for" and he couldn't leave it behind.

"Jake Sully is thrust into the middle of this tense situation"

You have to feel bad for the guy. I mean, his brother did just die, and we aren't given much insight into how he felt about that or how his relationship with his brother was. It seems almost immediate that he makes the decision to go off to Pandora and then he's thrown into this mess. The way it seems in the movie, he hardly has any time to grieve over his twin's death.

"Jake takes action. And all hell breaks loose."

Yeah. Wouldn't really want to mess with him XD.

"A wounded former Marine confined to a wheelchair, whose bravery and destiny help define a world he didn't even know existed. When Jake is recruited to travel to the moon Pandora to take on an enormous challenge--the details of which he is initially unaware--he barely hesitates."

Jake doesn't really seem to be the hesitating type lol. I love that though "help define a world he didn't even know existed." He seems to like to challenge himself, as we see from his quote, "I joined the Marines for the hardship. I told myself I could pass any test a man could pass."

"He picks up his pack and, as the Marines would say, 'grunts on.'"

I really admire that. No complaints. He's just going to do what he's going to do. He's not gonna sit and whine about it.

"Jake's disability, hard-headedness, and courage make him an immediately recognizable and relatable figure."

Yeah, he's definitely thick-skinned! Something else I really admire. The thing is though, I think lots of people would like to think of themselves as Jake, the hero. Because, after all, he saves the world and gets the girl. But, in reality, I don't think many people could do what he did the way he did it.

"Jake is no scientist."

*laughs*

"Through his avatar body, Jake is given a new purpose, new challenges, and an adventure that will take him to his limits--and beyond."

One of the reasons I love the scene when he's running so much. It sort of symbolizes him finding himself again. Kind of. He's given a new purpose, something worth fighting for, and new challenges, which he tells himself he can pass, and that makes him one determined character!

"Pandora gives Jake the opportunity to find himself, realize his potential, and understand that through his choices, he can become a better man."

Jake wasn't exactly a happy camper when he first arrived on Pandora. After meeting the Omaticaya and Neytiri, he's given hope and a will to become a better man, which is exactly what happens.

"Jake is a rich and complex character with a rare combination of passion, strength, street smarts, and soul."

Ah yes. I love that. Most definitely!

"Sam had a visceral quality and would make audiences believe that people would follow him. There was an intelligence and intensity in his eyes that never wavered."

After looking up in the dictionary what the word "visceral" means (pertaining to the viscera >.<), I can say that I wholeheartedly agree. And he definitely has an intensity in his eyes that managed to translate through the computer and into the CGI cause WOW. He does have an intense gaze. But, I think they meant more metaphorically here anyways *cough*

"A combination of sensitivity, vulnerability, and strength"

Oh gosh, YES. I definitely agree! Like I've said many times, I love his ability to be vulnerable but still aggressive and strong at the same time. It's interesting how similar Sam seems to his character. I mean, I don't know him obviously or anything, and all I know is what I'm reading, but if that's true, then it's interesting.

He may be an "everyman" but I really don't think every man would make the same decisions he did.

[allycat]

THIS IS AWESOME!! his character.. is beyond belief.. everything about him.. is like... wow... surreal.. its no wonder he doesnt exist! thank you for showing this on here!! it means alot to us!

[Human No More]

Nice

A very interesting read, that and the rest of the page as well.

[rapunzel77]

very good production notes on Jake. I wished some of his internal struggles were shown on screen more but a movie can do only so much to convey that with the time they are given.

[allycat]

^^ THIS

i wish too! it would of been nice to see EVEN more! even tho there was still quite a bit of his character in the movie!

i would reply more to this thread cause its awesome and talks about his character, but its just so long LOL! i like all the points made tho!

[Dreamwalker]

Originally Posted by rapunzel77

very good production notes on Jake. I wished some of his internal struggles were shown on screen more but a movie can do only so much to convey that with the time they are given.

yeah I sort of agree.
There was that one scene that was cut out, about Grace telling him that he and Neytiri could never really be together and he didn't want to admit that to himself. That would have been good to see, but I mean, like you said, there wasn't enough time and it probably slowed the story down.

[Patrice Maire]

I have a coworker who didn't like Avatar because it left him with no feelings at the end. (He compared it to Hurt Locker...which is unfair). I think if some of the character development scenes were left in, it would have made a much bigger impact. As well as hinting at what Earth looks like compared to Pandora (from the ASG).
Character development in a movie has to move very soon and hit some high points along the way or you end up with a very beautiful but flat story. (Which is how the movie originally hit me..I've grown to be involved as my presence here notes).
I do hope that some of those extra scenes either make it into the second edition or onto a bonus disc that those of us with regular screens and non-blu ray players can watch.
The character of Jake hinted at so much more but I got the feeling that we weren't able to see everything.
I'm anxious to see what happens in the next movie...hopefully better show of character development for all involved!

[aoitennyo]

Yeah, it was such a long movie, it seems like they sacrificed scenes showing any major character development and/or conflict in favor of the story and the spectacle of the movie.