“How did he think of it? I have no idea, but thank God he did,” Eilish tells PEOPLE of the ‘Avatar’ director
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NEED TO KNOW
- Billie Eilish teamed up with James Cameron as co-directors of her concert film, Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D)
- At the film’s premiere, both speak to PEOPLE about their unlikely collaboration
- Eilish recalls that Cameron wrote an email to her mother, Maggie Baird, with “the full idea already”
How did Billie Eilish and James Cameron achieve their status as an unlikely duo?
Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) (in theaters Friday, May 8) unites the singer-songwriter, 24, with the legendary filmmaker, 71, as co-directors. As Eilish tells PEOPLE at the film’s Wednesday, May 6 premiere, it all came about thanks to her mom, Maggie Baird.
Cameron “wrote an email to my mom because his wife is friends with my mom, or they had worked together,” recalls Eilish. “He literally had the full idea already. He was like, ‘Why hasn't anybody filmed Billie's concert in 3D? Can we? Can I?’ ”
Credit: Jesse Grant/Getty
The Oscar winner adds that it “was an insane idea” to turn her sold-out 2025 world tour into a 3D concert film. “Where did that come from, how did he think of it? I have no idea, but thank God he did. That's the story. We got on the phone and we made it happen.”
How quickly did Eilish agree to work with Cameron? Her response was “immediate,” she says. “Oh, my God, I didn't even hesitate. Are you kidding?”
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Working closely with Cameron in producing and directing mode, Eilish saw firsthand the Avatar helmer’s “ambition and work ethic." "Watching him in action is really inspiring because he has so much energy and is just ready to do whatever it takes to get the shot,” she says.
Credit: HENRY HWU/Paramount Pictures
At the premiere, Cameron also reflects on collaborating with the “What Was I Made For” singer. “What you have to realize with Billie is she knows exactly what she's doing as an artist,” says the Oscar-winning director. “I shot it,” he adds, “but she created the show. So as my co-director, she'd already done so much of the work before I even showed up.”
Also featuring Eilish's brother Finneas O'Connell, Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) includes plenty of glimpses of the 10-time Grammy winner interacting with adoring fans. Per an official synopsis, the film “brings an innovative new concert experience to the big screen from one of the most celebrated and successful artists of her generation.”
It hits theaters Friday, May 8.
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