Avatar Stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña Recall First Meeting: 'She Couldn't Understand My Accent'

Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña's working relationship began like a movie meet-cute.

"We met at a hotel bar," recalls Worthington of their 2006 introduction, ahead of their Avatar screen test. "I said to [director James Cameron], 'Can I meet the person that you want to play Neytiri? Because I'd like to audition with them. I think that will help me get the part.' So I met Zoe, wooed her, charmed her and then found out a bit later that she had no idea what I was saying," he says. "She couldn't understand my accent."

Saldaña's version is slightly different: "Listen to him: 'I talked to her, wooed her.' I'm the one who's the Chatty Cathy. But it's true— he would talk, and I had no idea what he was saying," she says with a laugh. "The Australian accent was unfamiliar to me. And he spoke really fast."

Zoe McConnell

Initial communication issues aside, the two stars have been friends ever since. Avatar's 2009 release was the biggest box office hit of all time and as their careers have thrived, they've stayed connected and enjoyed watching each other's families grow. Worthington, 46, and his wife, Lara, are parents to sons Rocket, 7, Racer, 6, and River, 2, while Saldaña, 44, and husband Marco Perego share twins Bowie and Cy, 8, and Zen, 5.

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"The older he gets, the quicker he is to reply," jokes Saldaña of Worthington. "Versus back then—it was like I didn't hear from him for a year, and then he would find my email somewhere and go, 'Hey, hey, how are you doing?' And I could just hear him—he writes like he speaks. Since marrying his wife and starting this beautiful family . . . between us, we have a football team. We have six boys, rambunctious and inquisitive and bossy and wild and crazy. So we've gotten them together. We've gone trick-or-treating together. Every now and then I look at him, and I'm trying not to cry because I'm a sap. I'm a natural sap, and so is Sam. We are quite grateful. That's my brother."

Zoe McConnell

Adds Worthington: "Yeah, and she's like my sister. It's very weird that we [film] these love affairs together."

Both actors were thrilled to return to their fan-loved characters, Jake Sully and Neytiri. In The Way of Water, their family has expanded to include four children and they are once again defending their planet Pandora, targeted by human colonizers.

Worthington and Saldaña admit that in returning to Jake and Neytiri 15 years later, some of their training took a little longer to adjust to, but Saldaña has not lost her touch with a bow and arrow.

20th Century Studios

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"It did take a little more time for my body to assimilate, to return to some of the exercises and the practices," says the actress. "But I'm proud of the fact that Jim [Cameron] has lost bets of whether or not I can hit a mark [with my archery]. I think the first time was a hundred bucks?"

"Yeah. He lost a lot of money betting against Zoe," adds Worthington. "The bets slowly went down because you were getting better."

Cameron's filming process for both Avatar films is known for being immersive and highly-technical. The Way of Water took three years to film, including those highly-publicized underwater sequences the actors performed in motion-capture suits. What was it like for the stars watching each other work in such high-tech environments?

Mark Fellman Counterclockwise from left: Kate Winslet, Zoe Saldaña, Sam Worthington, Cliff Curtis

For much more on Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE on newsstands Friday

"Performance capture is like an extension of makeup," says Worthington. "Once you strip away all the technology and being underwater, it's just about doing your job. Every time Zoe cries, that's a true tear. It's not animated. It's her performance coming through technology, and I get a front-row seat. I get to see many different takes that Zoe puts into the scene, the many different versions and journeys, and I journey with it. That's always exciting with someone like Zoe, because we get to play."

Adds Saldaña: "Performance capture is a gift. We get to play Sigourney Weaver's parents, and we get to see this brilliant artist transform and go back in time to the age of 14. We get to be rocked at our core by Stephen Lang and the level of complex villainhood that he brings to this story. And then I get to see someone like Sam, who brings such strength to Jake but [also] a level of fragility. And that's quite endearing. We get to have all this beautiful, fantastic journey, and we do it under the safety umbrella of James Cameron's playground."

Avatar: The Way of Water is now playing.