Marc Maron says 'thank god' he didn't get a role in James Cameron's 'Avatar 2': 'Why would I want that job?'

• Actor Marc Maron said "thank god" that his audition didn't go well for James Cameron's "Avatar 2."
• Maron said he is confused about why he even auditioned for the role in the first place.

Director James Cameron finally brought audiences back to Pandora over 10 years after the first "Avatar" film with 2022's "Avatar: The Way of Water," which sees Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) lead his family through a renewed war with the Resources Development Administration.

In the movie, the company is trying to strip the planet of a different resource in the sequel, as it sends boats out to hunt huge alien whales for a chemical in their brains that slows human aging. One of the scientists in charge of the operation is played by "Flight of the Conchords" star Jemaine Clement, but actor and comedian Marc Maron was also up for the role.

During a recent appearance on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, Maron recalled his failed audition for the film, explaining that he didn't actually want the job.

"That was ridiculous. Why the fuck would I want that job?" Maron said. "[James Cameron] is not a bad guy, I don't think, I don't know. You go out there, you go to this office and he's like, 'I want you to read…' I don't even know what it was, a doctor, a scientist who drank."

Maron explained that he thought Cameron's plans were a little too ambitious, saying: "There's this assumption that, 'We're going to do four 'Avatar' movies.' Dude, I don't even remember the first one."

Maron went on to say that he was so distracted by everything going on around him that he struggled to stay focused on the character he was auditioning to play.

"I'm on camera I think. I got a picture, a boat, or whatever the fuck it is… I'm in the middle of this thing and I'm totally untethered and I have no sense of character. I don't know really what's happening other than there are several unidentified actors and acrobats all around me," Maron recalled.

The star said "thank god" he didn't get the role because he doesn't like being away from home, and added that Cameron sent him a box of cigars as consolation for not casting him.

Maron added: "My agent was like, 'You're probably going to go to New Zealand for four years,' or whatever the fuck it was... some ridiculous amount of time. I'm like, 'It's not happening.' I have nothing invested other than the experience of, like, 'Alright, I'll go take the meeting.' Then [Cameron] sent me a box of cigars because he didn't cast me."