James Cameron says he is “sickened” by Donald Trump‘s re-election, and he is happy his New Zealand citizenship is “imminent”.
While appearing on The Fucking News podcast, the Oscar-winning director was asked for his response to Trump becoming US president again, to which Cameron replied: “I think it’s horrific, I think it’s horrifying.”
“I see a turn away from everything decent,” he said. “America doesn’t stand for anything if it doesn’t stand for what it has historically stood for. It becomes a hollow idea, and I think they’re hollowing it out as fast as they can for their own benefit.”
While Cameron frequently visits the US, he spends the majority of his time in New Zealand, where he has spent over a decade filming and working on the Avatar franchise. However, the director added that, given “we are all in this together globally,” he is unsure “if I feel any safer here”.
“But I certainly feel like I don’t have to read about it on the front page every single day. And it’s just sickening,” Cameron added. “There’s something nice about the New Zealand outlets — at least they’ll put it on page three. I just don’t want to see that guy’s face any more on the front page of the paper. It’s inescapable there, it’s like watching a car crash over and over and over.”
On his impending New Zealand citizenship, Cameron said it “means a lot” and “it’s something I’ve worked toward, something I’ve had to sacrifice for”.
“If you’re going to uproot your family and move somewhere, you have to invest, you have to be part of it, you have to earn standing,” the director said. “I just think you’ve got to earn your right to be in a place… There’s an innate respect and a demand for respect [here]. Everybody has this kind of equal status in terms of person-hood. And I love that – that’s what I wanted my kids to experience.”
Cameron is currently in post-production on the third Avatar movie, which is titled Avatar: Fire and Ash. The film is set for release on December 19. Two more Avatar sequels are also on the way, parts of which have already been shot.