Kate Winslet was “large and in charge” on the set of ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’.

The 47-year-old actress reunites with director James Cameron in his long-awaited sequel – in which she plays Metkayina matriarch Ronal – and though the xx-year-old filmmaker acknowledged the Oscar-winning star was “traumatised” from their working relationship on ‘Titanic’, she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind this time round.

James told Radio Times magazine: “I think ‘Kate’ came out of ‘Titanic’ a bit traumatised by the scale of the production and her responsibility within it.

“We’ve both been eager over time to work together again, to see what the other is about at this point in our lives and careers.

“She’s very large and in charge on set. You’d swear she was producing the film.”

While Kate previously admitted to being “genuinely frightened” of James while making ‘Titanic’, she said earlier this year she found the director has grown “calmer” over the years, which he agrees with.

He said: “I am definitely a lot more mellow now.

“That doesn’t mean I don’t have a bad day from time to time, but I know to rein that in now.

“Some people come by that innately, I had to learn it.”

Meanwhile, James explained the sequel focuses on emotion and character with a plot that should strike a chord with viewers.

He said: “I’ve been married for 22 years. I have five kids, three of them fully grown.

“In this film, Jake [Sam Worthington’s character] is caught between saving the planet or his family

“And we all have to make those decisions?

“Am I going to vote for the person who’s more likely to keep in a job, or the one that stops climate change.”