‘The Last Airbender’ Stars Talk Bending Powers

Jackson Rathbone would choose to control water, while Dev Patel would turn back time. By Mawuse Ziegbe Nicola Peltz Photo: Andrew H. Walker/ Getty Images M. Night Shyamalan’s kid-friendly fantasy, “The Last Airbender,” details an epic war between four nations driven by the powerful natural elements water, fire, earth and air. The flick follows the plight of Aang, the sole Avatar with the ability to control all of the elements, as he tries to restore peace between the warring factions. Given the choice to manage any one of those elements, the stars of the film have a variety of reasons for choosing their own “bending” powers. Shyamalan, who wrote, directed and produced the movie, which is based on the hit animated Nickelodeon TV show, would opt to have the ability to manipulate air. “First of all, I have an advantage ’cause everything has air around it,” Shyamalan told MTV News at the New York premiere of the movie on Wednesday. “Right now, if you were Earthbender, you’d be kind of screwed because there’s concrete underneath us. But I got you.” Nicola Peltz, who plays a Waterbender in the film, said she would stick to that power in real life as well. “I think water’s the most interesting because unfortunately it can harm you like a tsunami but it also heals people,” the actress said, adding that she’d like to be a ‘bender that’s also a do-gooder. “I would like to be a Waterbender because I could stop the tsunami and also give clean water to countries.” Jackson Rathbone was also on the water bandwagon. “I would probably say water just based on the fact that it’s one of the most prevalent elements around,” said Rathbone. “Bruce Lee talks much about being like water in his book Artist of Life. ” Noah Ringer works all the elements as the film’s lead, Aang, but he was able to single out one that he’d most like to control. “Air would be pretty cool because you could fly,” said Ringer, adding that Airbending has some practical advantages as well. “You wouldn’t have to ride on airplanes or anything.” Seychelle Gabriel, who plays Princess Yue in the film, would keep things close to home. “I’ve been telling everyone earth because I just think there’s so many possibilities because there’s rocks and trees and dirt and gravel,” said Gabriel. “There’s so many choices to pick from.” Dev Patel, however, eschewed the whole four-elements thing altogether and offered his own special ability. “If it was a real element it would … be turning back time. There’s so many crazy catastrophes happening in the world today. To be able to do that would just be fantastic,” said Patel, who nodded and simply said “BP,” as one of the disasters he’d like to fix. Check out everything we’ve got on “The Last Airbender.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos Opening Night: Summer Movie Premieres ‘The Last Airbender’ Clips MTV Rough Cut: ‘The Last Airbender’ Related Photos ‘The Last Airbender’ Premieres In New York The Powers & Creatures Of ‘The Last Airbender’

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‘The Last Airbender’ Stars Talk Bending Powers