Sam Worthington in “Avatar”
While heralded in the wake of “Terminator Salvation” as a relative newcomer, Australian-born Sam Worthington has been chipping away for more than a decade. Born in 1976, Sam studied at the National Institute of Dramatic Arts before graduating in 1998. Soon enough, television roles cropped up for Sam, both in Australia and the United States. He developed a strong reputation in Australia for films like “Bootmen” and “Somersault,” but his American work – “Hart’s War” and “Gettin’ Square” – failed to establish Sam as a major new talent.
Still, he directed a short film, starred in another war film (“The Great Raid”), took on “Macbeth,” until a slew of sudden projects emerged: “Terminator Salvation,” the James Cameron 2009 epic “Avatar,” and a remake of “Clash of the Titans” in 2010.
Sam on the Screen
Sam’s noteworthy early work includes the Australian musical “Bootmen,” “Hart’s War,” “Dirty Deeds,” 8 episodes of “The Surgeon,” the short film “Enzo” (which he also directed), and the 2007 crocodile horror film, “Rogue.”
Hot off “Terminator Salvation,” Sam will lead the ensemble cast of James Cameron’s “Avatar” in late 2009, followed by a turn as Perseus in “Clash of the Titans” in 2010 and “The Debt” the same year.
Sam Says
On his vagabond approach to work:
“I go where the work is. I don’t have a real home.”
On his scheme for picking projects:
“Haha, I’m doing as much as I can till people realize I’m a sham!”