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"I saw one of his interviews in which he was saying that the person he took on, he took all that of, was of Keith Richards, and I thought it made so much more sense now. You know, because you would see him walking and go, 'Oh God, I mean, he's a great actor but what is he doing though?'"
―Zoe Saldana[src]

Zoe Yadira Saldaña Nazario (born June 19, 1978), also known as Zoe Saldana, is an American actress. After receiving early recognition, Saldana achieved her career breakthrough with her work in numerous films, beginning in 2009 with her first of multiple appearances as Nyota Uhura in the Star Trek film series, her first appearance as Neytiri in the Avatar film series, and Gamora in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with the 2014 film Guardians of the Galaxy.

Zoe Saldana portrayed Anamaria in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. However, because she had a bad experience making the film, Saldana refused to return to future installments of the Pirates film franchise.

Biography[]

Early life and career[]

After performing with the theater group Faces, she appeared in two 1999 episodes of Law & Order. Her film career began a year later with Center Stage (2000) in which she portrayed a ballet dancer. After receiving early recognition, such as her work opposite Britney Spears in the 2002 road film Crossroads, Saldana achieved her career breakthrough with her work in numerous films, beginning in 2009 with her first of multiple appearances as Nyota Uhura in the Star Trek film series and her first appearance as Neytiri in James Cameron's Avatar film series. She also portrayed Gamora in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with the 2014 film Guardians of the Galaxy.

After her portrayal of Anamaria in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Saldana appeared in Frank E. Flowers' independent Cayman Islands ensemble Haven, which Orlando Bloom appeared and also executive produced. Her future film J.J. Abrams' Star Trek also starred Greg Ellis.

Saldana appeared in three of the five highest-grossing films of all time (Avatar, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame),[1] a feat not achieved by any other actor.

Pirates of the Caribbean[]

"I didn't like the experience of working on Pirates and I feel that it is my job to be completely honest. To me, that's what a Hollywood movie felt like. If that's what I have to witness, and have to go through, to do a Hollywood movie, I'd rather do something else."
―Zoe Saldana[src]

In an interview in 2011, Zoe Saldana revealed that she didn't enjoy filming Pirates of the Caribbean, saying that she felt the project was "too massive", something she said was not to "her taste" and made her consider leaving the profession.[2][3] Saldana reiterated her bad experiences in 2014, after appearing in other big franchise films, Avatar and the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Guardians of the Galaxy. Despite this, Saldana insisted that the cast were not to blame, but rather the political stuff that went on behind closed doors, "It was a lot of above-the-line versus below-the-line, extras versus actors, producers versus PAs. It was very elitist. I almost quit the business."[4]

Appearances[]

External links[]

Notes and references[]

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