James Cameron has long held a deep admiration for New Zealand, but the COVID-19 pandemic prompted him and his wife, Suzy Amis Cameron, to make a permanent move to this land. During an appearance on the latest episode of "In Depth with Graham Besinger," the 71-year-old director of "Avatar: Fire and Ash" shared that New Zealand's approach to managing the pandemic that erupted globally in 2020 made him want to reside in the country.
Cameron recalled that he first visited New Zealand in 1994. "I made myself a promise, 'I'm going to come live here someday,'" he reminisced, explaining that he "fell deeply in love" with the country and its people. As his relationship with Suzy deepened, she initially agreed to his plan, saying, "'Fine, no problem.' She was all in," he added, referring to his wife of 2000, with whom he shares three children. "As our family grew and we established roots in Malibu and Santa Barbara, we had to adjust our conversation slightly, but we did agree that after 'Avatar,' let's make this happen."
In 2011, Cameron purchased a farm in the country and spent significant time "going back and forth" before the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020, while he was still working on "Avatar: The Way of Water," which is set to release in 2022. They decided to "make the move as a family" in August of that year.
"New Zealand had eliminated the virus completely," Cameron said. "They actually eliminated it twice. The third time it showed up in a mutated form, it broke through. But fortunately, they already had a 98% vaccination rate. This is why I love New Zealand. People there are, for the most part, sane compared to the United States where you have a 62% vaccination rate, and that's going down – going the wrong direction."
The "Titanic" director posed a hypothetical question: "Where would you rather live? A place that actually believes in science and is sane, where people can work together cohesively towards a common goal, or a place where everyone is at each other's throats, extremely polarized, turning its back on science and would be in utter disarray if another pandemic appears?"
When Bensinger described the U.S. as "a fantastic place to live" during the conversation, Cameron interjected, "Is it? I'm not there for scenery; I'm there for the sanity," he added when Bensinger noted New Zealand's beautiful natural landscapes.
Cameron, who was married four times before tying the knot with Suzy, also shares an adult daughter, Josephine, from his previous marriage to "Terminator" star Linda Hamilton. Suzy also has a son named Jasper from a previous marriage to actor Sam Robards. Cameron's full interview on "In Depth with Graham Besinger" airs in syndication across the U.S. this weekend.
