Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender Star Eric Nam Carries The Series Legacy [Interview]

Eric Nam Is Avatar Aang

Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender has arrived on Paramount+ and on the big screen. That Hollywood Show spoke to Eric Nam about stepping into the shoes of the character we all fell in love with. He’s been very moved by the fan response to his rendition of Aang and this older version of Team Avatar. Nam knows a little something about being a leading man, but being the master of all four elements is still kind of surreal.

“Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender” is in theaters now and streaming on Paramount+.

Everyone Is All-Grown Up

As the titular, “Last Airbender,” Nam and his fellow benders are on a surprising mission to bring the Air Nomads back in this movie. He told us about the surprises that he encountered approaching this story alongside the original series. It was a great conversation that you can check out below!

“I just think it’s so exciting. Because,  you wonder! What does happen? How does that play out? All of that kind of stuff,” Nam told us. “And honestly, just to see [Team Avatar] all together in this way, it’s like they’re at peak form. They have been working out, they are all living their great lives, and they’re all these incredible people coming together for a great mission. So I think that was really cool.”

Avatar Aang Isn’t The Last Airbender Anymore

One of the biggest moments of surprise in Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender is that the title misleads the audiences. Nam and his friends are joined on this journey by Tagah. He’s an ancient Airbender that’s looking to restore his people. Aang is elated to finally not be so alone. We had to ask the leading man about how this changes up the Team Avatar dynamic.

“For Dave, and for Tagah, to enter the scene, it’s like ‘Bang!’ He’s living in the past, because I believe he’s twenty four at this point. The last twelve years he’s been the only, the last airbender,” Nam recalls. “And, there’s a lot of grief, and there’s a lot of sadness, and there’s a lot of loneliness that comes with that. He’s running around the world just collecting artifacts to preserve his culture and to preserve Air Nomad heritage. That is his calling. He’s a steward of that.”

“While maintaining the balance. and I can’t help but think that that is a very isolating experience. and so he still has his deep grief and shame about having run away,” he added. “But when he meets Tagah, it’s like, ‘My god. my god!’ And then to be able to learn tricks, tips and skills. Throwing each other through the sky? In a way that’s only possible when there is another airbender. Like, that is an eye-opening, formative experience for him. And so, I think that’s such a beautiful arc until you know what happens… all that stuff happens.”

How Does The Series Still Speak To Us At This Moment?

Playing a character like Avatar Aang comes with a certain weight in gravitas. For a select segment of the audience, they grew up with this kid becoming one of their favorite heroes in fiction. Nam is aware of that fact. When I asked about what he would like audiences to carry into their own lives from the film, he gave this wonderful answer. The actor truly sounds like he’s ready to get fitted for his robes and staff.

“The film overall comes at a time where I feel like so many of us are more lonely than ever. We’re more connected, but also more disconnected than ever. And, I also think everybody’s kind of at each other’s throats constantly,” Nam admitted. “But I think this film, and what we go through as characters, shows the importance of community. The importance of finding your chosen family, or the people that you love.” 

“But also, I think Aang is always about, ‘Let’s talk this through. We can find a way around this. We could find peace, and we can find balance.’ I think that is such an important thing that it’s easy for us to lose sight of, because we’re inundated with crazy news around the world all the time. But, when you take it back to first principles, it’s like, ‘I would love to not have war.’ Let’s ask for world peace. It sounds like when you’re a kid. ‘Well, I want world peace.’ But, genuinely right now more than ever, I like, ‘Let’s have world peace.’ Can we work towards that together?”

Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender is in select theaters and streaming on Paramount+ today.

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