A WORTHY PRODIGY....

SAM HAD SOMETHING I HADN'T SEEN BEFORE IN A GUY THAT AGE. THE VOICE, THE DEMEANOUR. BUT THE STUDIO WAS NERVOUS -- JAMES CAMERON ON WORTHINGTON I ALSO CARE THAT THE PUBLIC ARE GETTING THEIR $12 WORTH WHEN THEY GO TO A MOVIE, AND THAT THEY'RE NOT COMING OUT NOT WANTING TO EVER SEE A MOVIE WITH ME IN IT AGAIN. I DON'T CARE WHAT PEOPLE THINK OF ME AS A PERSON, BUT I DO CARE WHAT PEOPLE THINK OF MY WORK, AND WHETHER I'M INVESTING ENOUGH INTO IT (EMPIRE MAGAZINE, OCTOBER 2006)

I didn't set out to be famous, if I'd wanted that, I would have gon on Big Brother orn on August 2, 1976 in Godalming, Surrey England, Samuel Shane Worthington moved to Perth, Australia when he was two months old.

Though it’s now hard to imagine him as anything other than a successful actor, Sam Worthington didn’t embrace the idea of pursuing a career in this particular field of arts until he was well into his twenties.

Having dropped out of school at 17, Worthington had been biding his time working a series of odd jobs. His path changed dramatically after he agreed to accompany a girlfriend to her audition for Sydney’s National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). While there, Worthington’s impulsive decision to audition proved successful as he found himself accepted to the prestigious school with a scholarship (his girlfriend, however, was denied entrance).

After learning the ins and outs of the acting craft during his stint at NIDA, he emerged hungry for work and subsequently began auditioning for roles with gusto. He spent the first few months of his fledgling career appearing in local stage productions, with his on-screen debut coming in 2000 with a small part in an episode of JAG. For the next several years, Worthington appeared in a variety of television shows and movies, including the 2002 Bruce Willis action Hart’s War and the 2002 Toni Collette/John Goodman comedy Dirty Deeds.

Worthington’s days of toiling in lowbudget Australian cinema are clearly over, given that he has clearly come a long way since making his cinematic debut with a role in 2000’s forgettable Aussie comedy Bootmen. It’s worth noting, however, that he has always been choosy in terms of deciding which roles to accept and which to turn down, as evidenced by a filmography that’s primarily dominated by a whole host of artistically challenging efforts — including 2004’s award-winning Somersault and the 2005 James Franco war flick The Great Raid.

He won AFI Award Best Actor in a leading role for Somersault.

His undeniable on-screen charisma and natural acting abilities have proved instrumental in his ascent to the top of Hollywood’s list of promising up-andcomers.

The year 2006 proved to be a particularly lucrative for this rising star as he took on the title role in a modern retelling of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth and landed a starring gig opposite Radha Mitchell  and Michael Vartan in the 2007 horror flick Rogue. His reputation as one of Holly wood's most promising up-and-coming performers brought him to the attention of several high-profile directors, though it was James Cameron who ultimately cast him in his biggest production to date Avatar.

Cameron was so impressed with Wor thington's work that he suggested him to director McG for a role in Terminator Sal vation, and he soon found himself worke ing side-by-side with Christian Bale.

After almost a decade of roles in Aus tralian TV shows and films, Worthington gained Hollywood's attention by playing the role of Marcus Wright in Terminator Salvation, the lead role as Jake Sully in the James Cameron directed mega block buster Avatar and Perseus in Clash of the Titans. Given that he's also at work on a drama co-starring Keira Knightley and Eva Mendes entitled Last Night, Worthington has clearly established himself as one of his generation's most prolific and flat-out talented performers.

The gamble paid When Worthington was around 30, he sold most of his possessions and ended up with around $2,000 to his name. He then purchased a car and lived in it for a period of time.

Before Avatar, the actor admits he was living in his car. He subsequently got a place to live following his successful audition and signing to the Avatar film project.

He has said that he will go wherever the work takes him and would "like to go on `Dancing with the Stars'." -Compiled by Supriya Rai • He won a scholarship to the John Curtin School of Performing Arts in Fremantle, WA.

• He was a finalist to play James Bond in Casino Royale before Daniel Craig was selected.

• He worked as a bricklayer before becoming an actor.

• He has blurred vision but he does not wear glasses.

• Aside from acting, the actor is a keen surfer.

• His favourite artists include Xavier Rudd and Bernard Fanning.

• Worthington was cast in Avatar after Jake Gyllenhaal and Matt Damon turned down the role.

• In 2009 he got his first Teen Choice Award nomination for Choice Movie Fresh Face Male in Terminator Salvation.

• He was once described as one of Australia’s most likable young leading men by efilmcritic.com • Won the ‘GQ Man of the Year’ award in Australia in 2009, over Eric Bana and Russell Crowe.