Avatar: The Last Airbender Sequel Star Opens Up About Fan-Favorite Role: ‘They Were Writing the Daylights Out of My Character’

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Star John Michael Higgins has discussed how exceptionally well his popular character was developed for the show.

I was listening to the latest episode of Avatar: Braving the Elements, and it was really interesting. Hosts Janet Varney (who voices Korra) and Dante Basco (Zuko) were talking with John Michael Higgins, the voice actor behind the memorable Iknik Blackstone Varrick from The Legend of Korra. They got into how much creative control the production team had over the writing and voice acting. Higgins explained that everything was very carefully scripted, and he said it *had* to be that way. He pointed out that there was a lot of visual detail in the show, and they needed to maintain control over all of it.

Avatar: The Legend of Korra Star Reveals Show’s ‘Tight Script’ for Varrick

“That was a really positive experience for me,” Higgins explained, drawing a comparison between his work on The Legend of Korra and other voice acting roles where he had to create a lot of dialogue on the spot. “It was a welcome change to be part of a show with such well-developed characters. It was genuinely enjoyable to go into the recording booth and simply read the lines they’d written… And unlike some projects, this show didn’t require [rewrites] or adjustments. It felt like I was just along for the ride, like driving a fast car. I’d settle into the role, and it was a blast.”

Created by the original minds behind Avatar: The Last Airbender, Mike DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, The Legend of Korra introduced viewers to a fresh take on the Avatar world. The series is set in a more modern version of the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe, following an industrial revolution powered by bending. The Legend of Korra centers around its namesake, a young waterbender, as she learns to live in the city, builds relationships, and exposes complex plots, all while battling various forms of evil. Upon its debut, The Legend of Korra received high praise from both critics and fans, ultimately running for four seasons and 52 episodes on Nickelodeon.

Although The Legend of Korra became a beloved show, the original plans for it weren’t so grand. The series’ success actually happened because the network made several missteps. As Konietzko explained, “I think we do our best work when we kind of fly under the radar and we’re not bothered too much by the corporate overlords.” The initial idea for The Legend of Korra was to be a short, 12-episode run. However, months later, after initially wanting a shorter series, the network executives checked in and were impressed by an early preview of the animation. “They were like, ‘This is amazing. Why are we only doing 12 [episodes]?’ They forgot their own angry mandate.”

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2025-10-03 22:16