James Cameron and his larger-than-life film, “Avatar,” may be front-runners for Oscar gold, but the director said on “Charlie Rose” on Wednesday he’d like to see someone else take home Best Director – Kathryn Bigelow, who also happens to be his ex-wife.
“That would be a fantasy. That would be my fantasy outcome, absolutely,” James said, of Kathryn earning the award for “The Hurt Locker.”
“Happier than if it was Best Director for James Cameron?” Charlie questioned.
“Honestly, yes,” James replied.
The director, who won Best Director for 1997’s Oscar-showered “Titanic,” said he’d like to see “Avatar” honored with Best Picture for the sake of his team.
“Look, for myself, I have already got an Oscar. I’ve got a couple of them, you know… I don’t really need another one,” he explained. “But to… have the team honored and for their accomplishment, that would mean so much to them.”
James added that Kathryn had been involved with the making of “Avatar,” giving him notes throughout its long development.
“She’s come over — and tirelessly come over, watch the film,” he said, explaining that he had, in turn, produced several of her previous films. “We’re so celebratory of each other’s work…. We’ve worked together, and we’ve been supportive colleagues.”
He said when Kathryn asked him for input on “The Hurt Locker,” his notes were “very simple.”
“Don’t change a damn thing,” he said. “This thing is great. It’s consummately good filmmaking.”
Many would say the same about “Avatar,” and while James has stated he’s planning a sequel, he’s also saying now that he’d like to bring the 3-D epic to the page.
“There are things you can do in books that you can’t do in films,” he told The Wall Street Journal in a separate interview earlier in the week, in response to a question regarding a potential written prequel to the box office smash. “I told myself, if it made money, I’d write a book.”
“Avatar” producer Jon Landau went on to tell MTV News that the book could potentially be out by the end of 2010.
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