Oona Chaplin and her Latin roots drive her most powerful role yet in 'Avatar: Fire and Ash'

Oona Castilla Chaplin, the new villain in Avatar: Fire and Ash, has always lived between worlds. She was born on June 4, 1986, in Madrid, but her identity was shaped by a constant back and forth between Spain, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Cuba. This cultural journey marked not only her personal life but also the way she understands acting, the body, and memory.

Although her surname immediately brings to mind one of the most influential dynasties in film (and yes, she is the granddaughter of Charles Chaplin and the daughter of Geraldine Chaplin), this artist has been clear in pointing out that her identity goes far beyond Hollywood.

Her father is the Chilean cinematographer Patricio Castilla, and through her paternal side she inherits a direct connection with Latin America and the Mapuche people, through her grandmother Hilda Valderrama, a Chilean lawyer of Mapuche ethnicity specializing in human rights.

"Even though it's only part of my DNA, I feel more Latin American than anything else," Chaplin said in an interview with Remezcla , speaking about her Chilean heritage and her connection to Mapuche culture. The actress has shared that she traveled to southern Chile to learn about ancestral songs and traditions, an experience she described as deeply emotional and transformative.

"My grandmother was Mapuche, but she never shared her culture, because in her time it was frowned upon," the artist revealed.

On her mother's side, Oona Chaplin belongs to a long line of artists. She is the daughter of actress Geraldine Chaplin, granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin, and great-granddaughter of playwright Eugene O'Neill. However, far from relying solely on that legacy, she decided to pursue professional training. She studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and developed a solid career in European film and television before achieving global recognition.

Her rise to international fame came with Game of Thrones, where she played Talisa Maegyr. From then on, Chaplin established herself as an actress drawn to complex characters, marked by power, loss, and moral ambiguity, as she demonstrated in series such as Taboo and The Crimson Field .

That journey now leads to one of the most ambitious projects of his career: Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third installment of the saga directed by James Cameron, which premieres this weekend.

Chaplin plays Varang, leader of the Ash People, a new Na'vi tribe shaped by destruction and survival.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actress explained that Varang shouldn't be seen as a traditional villain. "She comes from a place where she lost everything," Chaplin said. "Instead of running from that pain, she throws herself into it. She becomes the fire. Nothing can stop her."

The physical construction of the character was key. To achieve this, Chaplin closely studied one of the central figures of the Avatar universe. "I watched Zoe Saldaña a lot," he explained in a video interview released by Deadline. "Neytiri's body is open, emotional, and connected. I needed to understand that to do the opposite. Varang closes his heart."

Chaplin also highlighted Saldaña's leadership on set, noting that her presence helped establish Pandora's emotional tone. From that reference, the actress found a different energy, more rigid and restrained, befitting a leader marked by devastation.

Despite Avatar's technological prowess, Chaplin described the filming as an intimate experience and compared the motion-capture work to the most essential theater. "The great irony is that we worked like poor man's theater," he stated. "There are no sets or costumes. Everything comes from the body and the imagination."

This approach connects with her training as a dancer and with an identity shaped by multiple cultures. For Chaplin, playing Varang is not only an acting challenge, but also a way to channel themes that have always been with her, such as resilience, heritage, and transformation.

With Avatar: Fire and Ash, Oona Chaplin enters the universe of Pandora, bringing with her her personal history, her Latin American roots, and a unique voice that continues to gain ground inside and outside of Hollywood.