Sam Worthington has become one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood, but his career wasn’t always as great as it is today, with many fans completely oblivious to the fact that he was living in his car when James Cameron told him he’d be starring in the 2009 blockbuster flick, Avatar.
The role to play Jake Sully in one of the most expensive movies ever made turned Worthington into a household name, and there doesn’t seem to be a day that goes by where he’s not thinking about the life-changing opportunity Cameron presented him at the time.
He has since signed up to star in another four Avatar installments, with the fifth film expected to enter cinemas in 2028, but working with Cameron, who also directed Titanic, isn’t the only thing Worthington has done to reach his impressive $30 million net worth.
How Has Sam Worthington Made His Money?
Considering that he was homeless before Avatar, it’s fair to assume that this actor didn’t have much before kicking off the audition process, hoping that his talents on-screen would be enough to land his big break in Hollywood.
And fortunately for him, it worked out well as he ended up landing the part of Jake Sully in Avatar, but one has to remember that the audition process took place while Worthington was still living in his car.
As most know, after an audition, it can take weeks if not months before a studio would make a decision, but the Aussie star had left such an impression on Cameron that, despite not having much experience working on major blockbuster flicks, the latter seemed sure that Worthington was the right man for the role.
Almost half a year went by before the 44-year-old would find out he had been cast in the film, which was the day he says his entire life changed.
“I do admit that James has changed my life,” he told the Times of India in 2010. “I am extremely proud of being a part of his legendary film. Right now, I don’t think that I will repeat those days but nobody has witnessed the unseen that’s why I am always ready for that also.”
“The journey has just started; I have to go far away in my voyage and have seen a lot of ups and down so far and I am ready for anything, anything that could happen — irrespective of good or bad. I can still live in my car (laughs) and I am not at all trapped with stardom.”
Working with Cameron has also been a pleasure for Worthington, who would land a part in 2009’s Terminator Salvation thanks to the director’s friendship with fellow filmmaker McG.
“It’s not a matter of now or then. He has changed my life and I’ll always be grateful to him for giving me a larger than life role in Avatar. That’s not enough, he also recommended me to McG for Salvation.”
Aside from the latter and Avatar, Worthington has also starred in blockbuster films including Clash of the Titans, Wrath of the Titans, Man on a Ledge, Sabotage, Cake - alongside Jennifer Aniston - and Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge in 2016.
He also voiced the character of Alex Mason in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 in 2018 and recently completed filming for The Georgetown Project, starring Samantha Mathis and Russel Crowe.
Worthington has come a long way since his days where he was going to auditions while living in his car, but the decision to keep pushing would ultimately have a massive payoff for the actor.
In the coming years, he will also be starring in the following movies: The Last Son of Isaac Lemay, Gold, CounterPlay, and Alphas - all which have yet to receive official release dates, but considering the coronavirus pandemic, these projects may be delayed for the foreseeable future until filming can resume.
Meanwhile, in a 2019 interview for the Empire podcast, Cameron revealed that Channing Tatum and Chris Evans had also auditioned for the role of Jake Sully in Avatar, but apparently their performance couldn’t live up to what Worthington had brought to the table - and that’s despite his unfortunate circumstances at the time.
“I really liked Channing’s appeal, I liked Chris’ appeal. They were both great, great guys. But Sam had a quality of voice and a quality of intensity,” he revealed.
“Everybody did about the same with all the material throughout the script except the final speech, where he stands and says, ‘This is our land, right now, go as fast as the wind will carry you.’ That whole thing, I would have followed him into battle and I wouldn’t have followed the other guys."