Gordon Cormier & Miyako

Warning! This article contains some spoilers for the original show and, thus, Netflix's The Last Airbender season 2.

Growing up looked a little different for Gordon Cormier and Miyako while filming the second season of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Between new friendships, personal milestones, and coming of age, both actors found themselves bringing more of their own experiences into their performances.

Miyako credits Toph Beifong for making her a little sassier. She doesn’t hesitate to admit it, laughing as she does so. “I’ve always been kind of a sassy kid,” she says. “But I feel like I got more sassy, if not, on the set.”

The formidable Earthbender’s influence didn’t stop there. Filming Season 2 coincided with a pivotal period of Miyako’s own life. As she turned 18 during the production, many of Toph’s defining qualities, including her confidence and empathy, began resonating with Miyako. “I feel like I grew into her courage, and a lot of her spunk,” Miyako says. “At the end of the day, Toph makes all the jokes and she teases people, but she's still a very empathetic, caring person. It's kind of an unconventional way to show affection, and I think that I really connected with that.”

Beneath Toph’s quick-witted humor and affectionate sarcasm, Miyako was especially drawn to the character’s unwavering sense of self. As Toph navigates complex family expectations and friendship conflicts throughout the season, she is constantly challenged to stay true to herself in a world eager to label her. “I think Toph is a representation of a way that we all, in certain ways, can see our own identity,” she says. “I feel like everybody at some point in their life has been either underestimated or judged by their cover, per se.”

Despite those pressures, Toph vehemently refuses to sacrifice who she is. To Miyako, that mindset is perhaps the character’s most admirable trait. “I think the instinct is to be like, ‘Oh well, maybe those people are right, or like they have to.’ Toph’s logic is kind of like, ‘I don't need to change for other people. If other people aren't comfortable with me or don't like who I am, then deal with it,’” she explains. “I really love that about her. I think she's very unapologetically herself. I feel like I had to adopt that philosophy, and I learned how to embrace that a little bit more through her.”

While Miyako found herself embracing Toph’s confidence, Cormier’s journey with Aang unfolded differently.

This season, Aang finds himself carrying a burden few people could imagine. Pressured by the responsibility of mastering every element while carrying the fate of the world on his shoulders, the young Avatar becomes overwhelmed by his mounting duties. In one of the most climactic moments of the season, Aang confronts and lashes out at the very friends who have stood beside him throughout all of his adventures.

Watching Aang assume that responsibility became one of the most compelling parts of portraying the character for Cormier. “I mean, just leading a Netflix show was a lot of responsibility for me, never mind Aang, who has the responsibility of the world on his shoulders,” he says. “There’s just so much on his plate that when the stress gets so overwhelming, he lashes out.”

Rather than placing blame on any one member of the Gaang, Cormier views the conflict as an honest portrayal of friendship under extraordinary circumstances. “I think the craziest part about all of this is that there’s not too much the Gaang could have done differently,” he says. “Sometimes we just lash out. Sometimes we say things we regret. I think everybody in that argument said some stuff that they regret. But I think that in the end, Aang realized that nobody is perfect. We all make mistakes, and Aang made just as many.”

Even at his breaking point, however, Cormier believes Aang’s kindness remained. “Aang has an unreal amount of patience that I think comes from his love for his friends,” he says. By the time Season 2 rolled around, Cormier had changed, too. The friendships he gained between productions allowed him to bring new depth to Aang’s relationships. “I got to live a lot between the seasons. I went out and made friends, and had some life experiences,” he says. “Now, I know what it’s like to have an argument with your friends and what it’s like to sort it out. It’s nice that I’m able to breathe more life into Aang.”

Cormier also credits the people around him for helping shape who he has become. Reflecting on his time filming Avatar, he spoke warmly about the influence of his castmates, particularly Dallas Liu (Prince Zuko) and Ian Ousley (Sokka). “I don't even know how to explain it,” he says. “They've molded half of who I am. Any important life lessons, or at least a lot of them, came from these guys.”

Though Miyako and Cormier had remarkably different experiences portraying Toph and Aang, both actors ultimately arrived at a similar understanding that growth rarely happens alone.

For Cormier, that meant learning from the friendships he built between seasons and from the castmates who became mentors both on and off screen. For Miyako, that meant accepting the importance of finding people who accept every version of who you are. “When you find your people, you don't leave them, no matter what. When you find your family, you stick together, you help each other, and you will fight for them specifically,” she says. “At the end of the day, as long as you know your worth, it shouldn't matter what others say about you.”

Off-screen, Cormier found that this philosophy extends. “I have incredible friends that I just thank the Lord for every day,” he says. “You are a reflection of the people you hang around with. Make sure you're hanging around with the right ones.”

It’s a perspective Miyako believes Toph understands better than anyone. “You aren't the same person with your family—or the people you respect—that you are with your friends, but I think Toph really shows us that you don't have to choose one or the other,” she says. “There are people in this world who will love you for both.”

-

Season 2 of Avatar: The Last Airbender was released on Netflix on June 25, 2026.