James Cameron turns cameras on octopuses

James Cameron – the man behind such feature films as “The Terminator,” “Avatar” and “Titanic” – is deeply committed to raising awareness for the preservation and conservation of nature. Part of his efforts to support the fight is his series “Secrets Of…” for the National Geographic Channel.

He believes in the cause so much that the director took time away from shooting final scenes for “Avatar 3” to discuss the latest offering in the series, “Secrets of the Octopus.” The three-part documentary series premieres April 21 on National Geographic and will be available to stream the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.

“If you can get people to fall in love with these animals and also have this deeper respect for nature, maybe we’ll fight harder whatever that is financially, politically in terms of the sacrificing that we might have to make in our lifestyle or just committing and recycling. Doing all the things that we need to do,” Cameron says. He is the executive producer of the series and a National Geographic Explorer-at-Large.

It is not a complete leap for Cameron to go from “Avatar” to octopuses. The sea creatures are like aliens on Earth as they have three hearts, blue blood, and the ability to squeeze through a space the size of their eyeball. Highly intelligent, octopuses can use tools, transform their bodies to mimic other animals and even communicate with different species, including us. The secrets of the octopus are more extraordinary than ever imagined.

Previous offerings in the series have examined elephants and whales. Cameron’s interest in the animal world started with his days at Fullerton College where he studied marine biology. He was fascinated by the way an octopus would behave.

“We didn’t know how their neurological system worked. There was much we didn’t know about them, but the stories were rampant about how smart these things were. They were staggering even then,” Cameron says. “I’ve always held the octopus in very high regard as a science fiction writer. I always imagined that when that flying saucer lands on the White House lawn and the ramp comes down, it’s going to be something that looks like an octopus that comes out.

“Because there are certainly more water worlds in the universe and worlds that are under ice and have liquid oceans than there are worlds like us that have a balance between land and ocean.”

“Secrets of the Octopus” will be narrated by actor Paul Rudd. He describes working on the project as “an incredible journey.”  Rudd anticipates that viewers will be as amazed by the series as he has been.

Cameron’s team was able to collect the footage needed for the series through high-tech equipment and scientific research platforms around the world. Collecting the footage for “Secrets of the Octopus” in Canada, Indonesia, Australia and the Bahamas was relatively easy as they tend to live in shallow waters.

“What it takes is incredible patience and an amazing eye on the part of the researchers and photographers for detail. You just have to be with these animals for a long time and observe them,” Cameron says. “Then you’ll start to see different behaviors – their mating strategies, their predatory strategies, and their defensive strategies.

“It’s a big editorial task because you’ve gone into the field and nature gives you what it decides to give you at any given moment. I always say, ‘These are gifts from the ocean’ whenever we get that shot.”

The commitment by a feature film director who has created some of the largest box office success in film history to the natural world might seem like a stretch. Cameron finds it a natural fit as his fictional work has often been influenced by what he has seen in the real world.

He has collaborated with National Geographic extensively in the past and will continue to look for future connections as he continues to make the “Avatar” films as they relate to the real science and real animal behavior. Cameron points out the real wonders of nature on Earth can be seen on the planet Pandora from his “Avatar” movies.

“We have a series coming out with ‘Avatar 3’ – slightly before or slightly after, I can’t remember –-called ‘The Science of Avatar’ that really gets into the outlandish things we’re showing, what the scientific bases for those are,” Cameron says. “And we’ll do other cross-connections as well.”

To coincide with the premiere of “Secrets of the Octopus,” the May issue of National Geographic’s magazine also will explore the series with a closer look into the latest findings about octopus behavior, cognition and social dynamics. The feature also dives into the challenges of ethical octopus research and shines a light on the fact that the U.S. Animal Welfare Act does not protect the species.

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