Zoe Saldana began her career in the 2000 film “Center Stage,” where she played “Eva,” a determined ballet dancer fighting to keep her spot at the American Ballet Academy in New York.
Sixteen years later, the 37-year-old actress admits that switching to sci-fi movies has allowed her to find something that Hollywood female stars continue to search for -- “strong, meaningful characters.”
“If I wasn’t doing these sci-fi movies, I would be at the mercy of filmmakers that would just look my way if they need a girlfriend or sexy woman of color in the movie,” Saldana told CNET magazine. “Space is different…but we can still do better. We can still give women more weight to carry in their roles.”
The Dominican-Puerto Rican actress, who has starred in various science-fiction features, such as “Avatar,” “Star Trek” and “Guardians of the Galaxy,” explained that venturing into this genre offers actresses more interesting gigs.
“It allows you to experiment with other roles besides someone’s girlfriend, someone’s mother, someone’s wife, someone’s victim,” she said. “No matter how big or small your part may be, you feel much more relevant in space. You’re helping the whole crew save the day. You’re translating alien languages as opposed to being the one that encourages [someone else] to win the day.”
The mother of two not only believes in empowering women but also the Latino community and other fellow actors. She has joined forces with her sisters, Mariel and Cisely, to create a new production company titled Cinestar, which aims to provide more work for struggling actors in the industry.
“We hope our TV series and films inspire not only fellow Latinos and women, but also all people to be comfortable with who they are,” Mariel told the publication. “The fact that our sister is a role model for girls is extremely rewarding.”
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