“Hurt Locker” director Kathryn Bigelow faces off against ex-husband and “Avatar” director James Cameron in two Oscar categories. Hollywood is taking sides:
By all accounts, Mr. Cameron and Ms. Bigelow, who were married from 1989 to 1991, have an amicable relationship and even continue to share their work with one another.
In mid-January, Mr. Cameron complimented his ex-wife in his acceptance speech for best director at the Golden Globes. “Frankly, I thought Kathryn was going to get this. And she richly deserves it,” he said.
Mr. Cameron also showed Ms. Bigelow an early cut of “Avatar,” and Ms. Bigelow did the same with her own film. After reading the “Hurt Locker” script, she consulted with Mr. Cameron, who encouraged her to do the project before others on her plate.
While their marriage ended in 1991, the two have continued to collaborate professionally since their divorce. In fact, written into their divorce settlement was that Mr. Cameron would produce three of Ms. Bigelow’s films. “There is always a price for doing what you want,” she told the Sunday Times about the settlement in 1996. “And I guess that price was my marriage.”
Mr. Cameron both wrote and produced Ms. Bigelow’s “Strange Days,” a 1995 sci-fi thriller about snuff films. It performed poorly at the box office, however. Mr. Cameron executive produced “Point Break,” a movie about bank robber surfers that she directed back in 1991. That movie quickly turned into a cult hit and box-office success, becoming one of Ms. Bigelow’s most commercial films. – from WSJ