Zoe Saldana has showcased her acting potential with different projects ranging from both action and science fiction genres. From paving her acting journey with a guest role in the television series Law & Order in the late 1990s, her dance background was well reflected in her breakthrough role in 2001’s Center Stage.
![Zoe Saldaña in Special Ops: Lioness [Credit: Paramount Network]](https://fwmedia.fandomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/17093603/Zoe-Saldana-in-Special-Ops-Lioness-Credit-Paramount-Network-1024x681.jpg)
Zoe Saldana Talks About Her Acting Career
Saldana has been proud of her work since she was a child. Whether it be her dancing skills or her acting profession, she has passionately worked on improving for the better.
In a recent interview with Deadline Hollywood, the actress reflected on her acting career as she talked about her new movie, Emilia Pérez. Given that she has long been involved in the sci-fi genre, tapping out of that zone was a reboot for her.
Portraying Neytiri in James Cameron’s Avatar series is one of her most notable roles, with the 2009 movie becoming the highest-grossing film of all time as per The Numbers. Zoe Saldana reprised her role in Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) and other installments planned for the upcoming future.
Talking about working in the movie, she shared,
I’m very passionate about science fiction, but I was working with somebody who, even though he was one of my favorite directors, was unimaginable that I was ever going to get a chance to work with him.
She continued that working as Neytiri “gave me so much, year after year, I built a career off of” the blue character. While working on those sci-fi projects brought her to global prominence, it also pushed her to do a self-reflection about her work. She continued,
“I’m 45, I’m going to be 46 soon. So, there was a lot of the last couple of years, I was in my head a lot in terms of what do I want to do. Obviously, I still want to do so many things but am I even going to be given these opportunities… it’s repurposeful.”
Despite her strong filmography, she has yet to work on several things, which could further broaden her horizon in the entertainment world. Whereas, her new project makes a buzz at this year’s Cannes.
Zoe Saldana’s Emilia Pérez Received Great Response at Cannes 2024
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 2024 musical crime comedy movie received a nine-minute standing ovation from the audience during its premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on May 18, 2024.
The movie, which has been selected to compete for the Palme d’Or and Queer Palm, stars Karla Sofía Gascón in the titular role, with Selena Gomez, Saldaña, and Édgar Ramírez in the supporting roles.
The outlet reported that the cast was visibly moved by the thunderous applause and positive reception of Jacques Audiard’s direction. As the credits rolled, many in the audience were shouting “Bravo,” which brought happy tears to Saldana and Gascón.
Emilia Pérez revolves around Gascón’s character, a drug cartel leader who longs to undergo gender reassignment surgery to leave the crime world and become a woman. Saldaña plays Rita, an overqualified lawyer, while Gomez portrays Gascón’s wife who secretly supports her husband’s dream of becoming a woman.
Emilia Pérez premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
