James Cameron recalls low-budget cocaine shock

James Cameron has recalled being given cocaine on the set of his first low-budget film.

The Avatar director shared his surprise at being handed illicit drugs on the set of his 1980 sci-fi movie, Battle Beyond the Stars.

James, 71, had been promoted into the role of production designer on the B-movie after the previous employee was sacked.

"He wasn't designing and building sets in time," the Titanic filmmaker told the In Depth with Graham Bensinger podcast. "They had no idea that I had any management skills whatsoever."

On his first day in the new role, James said, he was immediately given amphetamine capsules and cocaine by the movie's production manager.

"He says, 'Okay, here's your petty cash voucher,'" he explained. "And here's this and here's that, and here's your swing shift crew list. Here's your day shift crew list. Okay, here's your black beauties. Here's your coke.' And he's just putting all this stuff out on the table."

James explained he had been at a loss for what to do with the drugs he'd just been given.

"I'm like, 'Wait a minute, what do I do with this stuff?'" he remembered. "I mean, I didn't take drugs. You know, for me, coffee was plenty."

He recalled being told to distribute the items amongst the rest of the crew.

"He said, 'Well, you got to give it out to the crew,'" James explained.

"I'm like, so I just became a dealer, I guess? You know, but that was just how things were done in that super low-budget world. You know, 'will work for coke,' basically. And that was pretty nuts."