Who Is Oona Chaplin? Played 'Varang' In 'Avatar: Fire And Ash', Charlie Chaplin's Granddaughter

The recently released film, Avatar: Fire and Ash, directed by James Cameron, has been making a lot of noise on social media. However, it is the character, 'Varang', that has been grabbing a lot of attention. For the unversed, 'Varang' was not just an angry and chaotic villain, but also a calm, firm and confident personality.

While the character, 'Varang' is making rounds on social media, do you know that the character is played by Oona Chaplin? It is worth mentioning that Oona is the granddaughter of comedy legend, Charlie Chaplin. In her long career, she has also appeared in a few Spanish films. However, her appearance in Game Of Thrones brought her widespread recognition. Read on to know more about her.

Oona Chaplin’s early life and education

Oona Chaplin was born on June 4, 1986, in Madrid, Spain. She grew up in an artistic and filmy household. From an early age, she was exposed to theatre and films as she is the granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin. Her parents, Geraldine and Chilean have been popular names in the industry. Oona is also the great-granddaughter of Eugene O’Neill, who was an award-winning American playwright. 

Since her parents were in the industry, Oona spent her childhood in the United Kingdom, Spain, Cuba and Switzerland. Talking about her educational career, at the age of 15, Oona enrolled in Gordonstoun School in Scotland. During the same, she took part in multiple school dramas. Later, she went to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, where she graduated in 2007. At RADA, Oona not only learnt acting, but also learnt how to understand characters. 

Oona Chaplin has worked in Spanish cinema

During her graduation at RADA, Oona appeared in independent short films and took part in theatre. Later, after Oona Chaplin completed her graduation, she followed the footsteps of her parents and appeared in a few British and Spanish films. While these roles did not make her an instant star, she earned a lot of respect with her emotional stability and strong screen presence. Initially, she played mature, realistic and grounded characters. Later, she also worked in a few films alongside her mother. Some of the films Oona appeared in were Anchor and Hope, Inconceivable, Married Single Other and more.

Oona Chaplin was a part of Game Of Thrones

Despite working in a few films, Oona Chaplin’s breakthrough came in 2012, when she appeared in one of the most popular shows, Game Of Thrones. For the unversed, she played the role of ‘Talisa Stark’. Her role in GOT built a strong foundation for her acting career. One of the best parts about her role was the way she made the character, 'Talisa' natural and believable. She did not play the character as overly dramatic or heroic. Instead, she brought warmth, intelligence and strength to the role.

Slowly and gradually, the audience started noticing her. After her amazing performance in GOT, Oona won hearts on films and television. Some of the projects she worked in include The Crimson Field, The Longest Ride, Taboo and more. Her next strong performance came in the recently released film, Avatar: Fire and Ash.

Oona Chaplin’s role as ‘Varang’ in Avatar: Fire and Ash

In 2025, Oona Chaplin won hearts with her character, 'Varang' in the film, Avatar: Fire and Ash. In the film, she was the leader of 'Ash People', which was a completely new clan introduced. In James Cameron's movie, 'Varang' stood out as a central character. What captured the attention was that she was not portrayed as a loud or stereotypical villain. Instead, she was calm and deeply confident. Oona made viewers believe that the character is real, serious and powerful. 

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the director of the much loved film, Avatar, James Cameron shared that he had met other actresses also for the role of 'Varang'; however, the energy of Oona was very different. He also revealed that he couldn't feel the layer from other actresses that Oona brought. He was quoted as saying:

"There were three other actresses up for the part that I had wanted to work with. They were movie stars. They were fantastic. But there was something (Chaplin) just locked into. There’s a sexuality; there’s a dominating psychology, and there’s a lot of fury. There are a lot of layers to what she’s doing there and the forces that are driving her. Oona was able to move fluidly back and forth between those in a way that I wasn’t seeing with the others."

While Oona Chaplin comes from a strong family background, she has established her own position in the film industry. Share your thoughts with us.

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