After starring in James Cameron’s 2009 blockbuster Avatar, Zoe Saldaña was offered the role of the deadly assassin Gamora in the 2014 Marvel film Guardians of the Galaxy. While she has portrayed the character almost for a decade, Saldaña had some reservations about the role when she first received the offer. She candidly discussed her concerns with director James Gunn and the complexities of Gamora’s character development and representation in her MCU debut.
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Zoe Saldaña Was Not Interested in Playing a Quiet Gamora
Zoe Saldana made her MCU debut with James Gunn’s 2014 film Guardians of the Galaxy. She has since reprised her role multiple times, including in two Avengers movies. However, Saldaña was not the first name that came to the makers’ minds for the role of Gamora.
But the Star Trek actress also initially declined the offer. Having starred in Star Trek and Avatar, she did not want to star in another sci-fi franchise. Saldaña still went through the script after James Gunn insisted. However, she still had some reservations about the character she was offered.
As per MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, she shared such concerns with the filmmaker, saying, “You want me in every scene, but I don’t speak in any of them.” The Terminal actress questioned the time and effort required to play the role of Gamora when her presence in the film seemed limited and passive.
“So I’m just going to go there for six months, go through five hours of makeup every day, six days a week, to just be like a fly on the wall in every scene?” she stated. Saldaña joined the cast of the film only when Gunn promised to expand Gamora’s character.
Zoe Saldaña Wouldn’t Reprise Her Marvel Role
Zoe Saldaña has portrayed the character of Gamora for almost a decade, and it seems that she is ready to say her goodbyes to the superhero franchise. She was last seen as Gamora in the Guardians of the Galaxy threequel and has said that it was the end for Gamora.
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she revealed that she expected to play Gamora only in the 2014 film, and Gamora was almost killed off in Vol. 2. The Avatar star further shared, “I don’t think this is the end for the Guardians. It is the end for me, for Gamora.”
Saldaña’s co-star, Dave Bautista, has also been quite vocal about leaving the film series. And with James Gunn moving to DC Studios, the future of the galactic superheroes in the MCU has remained unclear.
The Guardians of the Galaxy film series is available on Disney+.
