Revealed: The note James Cameron sent the teen actor suing him for ‘copying’ her face for Avatar

So, the actor Q’orianka Kilcher is suing James Cameron and the Walt Disney Company over claims they “copied” her face for the Avatar films. Q’orianka Kilcher argues her likeness was replicated for the character Neytiri when she was a teenager, without her permission. The new lawsuit details a mysterious note and emails allegedly exchanged between Kilcher and Cameron.

According to the filing, Kilcher first met Cameron in-person at a charity even in 2010. Kilcher was then 19. Cameron allegedly invited her to his office collect a “surprise gift”. Soon afterwards, she visited Cameron’s office with her mother. An assistant showed her the film Avatar, and gave her a piece of art with a note. Kilcher believed the work was “an original one-off sketch of Avatar’s character Neytiri drawn and signed by James Cameron”.

The note read: “Your beauty was my early inspiration for Neytiri. Too bad you were shooting another movie. Next time.”

At the time, Kilcher felt “confused”, as she allegedly had not been offered an audition for a part in Avatar. She emailed Cameron: “I am so, so touched by the beautiful sketch you made of Neytiri!!! … I’m so thankful, humbled and touched that in some little way I was able to be a part of your inspiration for this important film.” Kilcher told Cameron she cried tears of happiness, as she hoped Neytiri in Avatar was “giving many young indigenous youth the courage to be proud of their culture . . . and hope that our voices will be heard.”

The lawsuit claims Kilcher and Cameron had “sporadic email exchanges” between 2010 and 2017. In May 2022, Kilcher emailed Cameron a photo of her with the sketch of Neytiri. She referenced the note from 2010, and wrote: “My how time flies… Is it ‘next time’ yet? I’m ready, let’s go!” They met up in-person in 2017, then in November 2022 to discuss the Avatar sequel films.

Kilcher claims she did not think Cameron “copied” her exact facial features for Neytiri until 2025. She saw a clip of Cameron explaining how he “used the photo” of her.

Kilcher rose to fame for portraying Pocahontas in the 2005 film The New World. More recently, she played Angela Blue Thunder in Yellowstone.

Representatives for James Cameron and the Walt Disney Company have not responded to requests for comment.

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