Sam Worthington opens up on how his life changed for the worse after starring in Avatar

Sam Worthington has opened up about how his life changed following Avatar.

Worthington, 46, starred in the movie - which earned an incredible $2.9 billion - back in 2009. But following the success of the film, things started to spiral for the actor.

Speaking to Variety, Worthington has opened up about his battle with alcohol following the film. He explained how his knowledge of cities around the world stemmed not from place names, but by favourite drinking spots.

“I couldn’t see it,” Worthington explained. “I thought it was normal. I didn’t like who I was. Drinking helped me get through the day.

“[...] Nine out of 10 people couldn’t tell. They could probably smell it on me, but when they looked at me, they couldn’t tell. I was still doing my job — I just don’t think I was doing it very well.”

Worthington also struggled with the huge media attention following the success of the movie.

“I’d go haywire over someone asking me for a photograph or taking a photograph of me,” he added. “If someone approached me, my anxiety would go through the roof.”

20th Century Studios

His wife Lara eventually gave her husband an ultimatum, which he says changed everything.

“You can do what you want, but I don’t need to be around this,” she said.

Now, Worthington explains he's no longer chasing big movies.

“If I can’t bring anything to it, I’m not going to go and be involved in it,” he said.

“I don’t want to do that again. I don’t want to just be the action figure standing in the front. And that’s OK. It takes a lot to understand what you do want from this industry."

Sipa US/Alamy Stock Photo

The new Avatar movie, Avatar: The Way of Water, is set for release on 16 December.

The film, set 14 years after the original, has been in the works since 2012 but only began shooting in 2019.

As fans eagerly anticipate the long-awaited sequel, critics who were privy to an early screening are absolutely loving it.

Comicbook’s Brandon Davis gave the film a thumbs up while labelling it a ‘visual feast’.

He wrote: “Avatar: The Way of Water, being more than 3 hours long, is both fulfilling and indulgent. It still ends wanting you to know a third is coming. Constantly a visual feast, creative plays with frame rate, and never boring despite. Overall, I liked it.”

Meanwhile, CNN's Tom Page said the sequel had done the unthinkable in the movie industry by being better than the original.

The official synopsis for the sequel reads: "Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) have formed a family and are doing everything to stay together.

"However, they must leave their home and explore the regions of Pandora. When an ancient threat resurfaces, Jake must fight a difficult war against the humans."