Other than Sigourney Weaver, that is?
I was thinking that they seemed pretty much forgettable. Looked up her name on the night that I saw the movie, and have since forgot it. I read his name again, tonight, in the National Enquirer…and forgot it.
So, do YOU remember his/her names?
Best wishes,
hh
No.
I’ve heard it called a good thing to make a film without established names and faces. They distract from the film.
Uh, Sam Worthington is the star.
Giovanni Ribisi is the “douche” corporate guy.
The girl who was Uhura in Star Trek was the main Na’vi babe, but I don’t know her name without looking it up.
I am unfamiliar with the main villain actor.
The only one I recognized beyond Ms. Weaver was the corporate guy. I had to ask my husband if he took the job to get away from the triplets. 
Sam Worthington is an Aussie and I have really liked him since a string of Aussie movies Boot Men, Dirty Deeds and Gettin’ Square so I already knew him.
I didn’t know Giovanni Ribisi was in Avatar, and was surprised to see him, but I’ve enjoyed a lot of his stuff over the years.
I know CCH Pounder just from the memorable name and a couple of SVU episodes I have seen.
Nobody knew who Sigourney Weaver was immediately after Alien, either. Drowned out by John Hurt and Ian Holm, and probably Harry Dean Stanton. It took a few other movies to really cement her name in the public consciousness. Most notably Ghostbusters and Aliens.
I knew Sam Worthington’s, Michelle Rodriguez’s, and Zoe Saldana’s names. Though I always forget Giovanni Ribisi’s name, I instantly recognise his face.
Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, Sam Worthington, and CCH Pounder were all very familiar to me before Avatar so I have no problem remembering them.
That said, I see movies all the time where I enjoy the movie and don’t remember afterward the names of the actors. That recognition generally comes with seeing an actor several times.
In addition to Zoe Saldana (Neytiri), Sigourney Weaver (Grace), Michelle Rodriguez (Trudy), Sam Worthington (Jakescully), CCH Pounder (Mo’at), and Giovanni Ribisi (Evil Corporate Guy), I recognized Wes Studi (Etuykan) and Stephan Lang (Evil Colonel Guy).
But that recognition didn’t interfere with my enjoyment of the film.
I knew Zoe Saldana from Drumline, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, The Terminal, Vantage Point and Star Trek prior to Avatar.
I knew Michelle Rodriguez from her first film Girlfight, Resident Evil, The Fast and the Furious, Blue Crush, S.W.A.T., and Battle In Seattle prior to Avatar.
I knew CCH Pounder from Bagdad Cafe, Benny & Joon, Face/Off, and Orphan prior to Avatar. I’ve never seen any of her television work.
I knew Giovanni Ribisi from That Thing You Do!, Saving Private Ryan, Gone in Sixty Seconds, The Gift, Lost In Translation, Cold Mountain, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Flight of the Phoenix, and Public Enemies prior to Avatar.
I saw Sigourney in her very first film, Annie Hall, though I didn’t know who she was until her 3rd film, Alien. Of course I’ve seen tons of her movies since.
Looking at his IMDB listing, I’ve seen many of Stephen Lang’s movies, but I don’t remember him in them. If I saw the movies again I’d say “Oh yeah, that’s Badass from Avatar!” (not out loud). Now I know him from Avatar.
Same with Sam Worthington. I’ve seen several of his movies, including one that was a favorite of mine the year it came out, The Great Raid, but damn I don’t remember him. I did see Terminator Salvation last spring, but even though he had a huge role, the main bad guy, he was kinda generic and so I didn’t seek out and remember his name, and didn’t recognize him when I saw Avatar.
Not saying you did or would, but a lot of people could have said the same thing about Titanic. People into art house and indie films, avid moviegoers, and some television watchers might have known who Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Francis Fisher, Suzy Amis, Victor Garber, Bernard Hill*, and Gloria Stuart were prior to Titanic’s big splash. Arguably the biggest names in the film upon release were Kathy Bates and Bill Paxton. Maybe David Warner too. Almost all of the actors benefited from the exposure they got from Titanic, none more so than Leo and Kate, who became superstars.
Avatar’s very different in that you never see the real Zoe Saldana, and Worthington spends half of the movie as an Avatar. I don’t think they’re destined for the same level of fame as Kate and Leo. Not from this movie anyway. Zoe will probably get there. She has 4 movies coming out this year alone, and she’s Uhura for the duration of the reboot series. Worthington has at least 3 movies coming out this year, including Clash of the Titans. I do like him a lot, but IMO he is kinda generic-looking, so it’s going to take longer and way more movies for him to distinguish himself.
Btw, I do realize that Kate and Leo both had been nominated for Oscars prior to Titanic. Leo for What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, and Kate for Sense and Sensibility, but I don’t think the general public at large would have known who they were. Avid moviegoers and Oscar buffs would have known.
Yes.
I knew Stephen Lang from his role as Gen. Pickett in Gettysburg (One of my all time favorites) and Stonewall Jackson in Gods and Generals (Not so good). Sigourney Weaver of course. CCH Pounder is a name that seems to pop up in movies a lot, but I can never place a face. Zoe Saldana was fresh in my mind as I just saw Star Trek not long ago.
