Kate Winslet shoots underwater scenes for her new role in upcoming Avatar movie and breaks a free-diving record after previously ending up with hypothermia during Titanic filming

Kate Winslet has taken on another role which involves her getting back in the water tank to shoot underwater scenes - after previously ending up with hypothermia.

The 46-year-old actress, who is best known for portraying Kate in Titanic, spent months in the water while filming the emotional 1997 movie and was left ill because of it. 

But that hasn't stopped the star from positively thriving in her new role in the Avatar sequel The Way Of Water.

The Oscar-winning actress plays Ronal - one of the underwater beings closely related to the Na'vi.

Producer Jon Landau was in London on Wednesday to screen some footage and (very gently) start to beat the drums to promote his new sci-fi blockbuster. 

He told Daily Mail's Alison Boshoff: 'Kate broke a free-diving record among the cast. It was six minutes 50-something — but for Kate we agreed to call it seven. She was phenomenal.' 

Kate was apparently particularly delighted to beat Tom Cruise, who famously performs his own stunts and managed a six-minute free dive while making Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation in 2015.

Young actress Bailey Bass who plays Ronal's daughter Tsireya in The Way Of Water, said: 'Kate holds the record — she set it during training. I managed six minutes and 30 seconds.' 

All the cast went through dive training to prepare for the picture which is set over a decade after the events of the first film.

The synopsis for the film, directed by James Cameron, reads: 'Jake Sully and Ney'tiri have formed a family and are doing everything to stay together. 

'However, they must leave their home and explore the regions of Pandora. When an ancient threat resurfaces, Jake must fight a difficult war against the humans.'  

Zoe Saldana, who plays Neytiri, admitted that seeing some of the movie made her very emotional.

'I can get choked up just talking about it. I was able to see just 20 minutes of the second installment, right before the year ended, last year. And I was speechless. I was moved to tears,' the performer told reporter Kevin McCarthy. 

Avatar 2 debuts on December 16, with sequels to come on December 20, 2024, December 18, 2026, and December 22, 2028.

The film began development before the release of the original Avatar movie, which made its debut in 2009.