Over the past decade or so, many Hollywood stars have joined major blockbuster franchises. And movie star Zoe Saldanha is no different. In recent years, she has devoted her career to notable roles in the franchise —Lieutenant Uhura in Star Trek, Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy (and most of the MCU) and Neytiri in Avatar. To star in several films worth billions of dollars seems great on paper, and each film increases Saldanha’s Hollywood credibility. But it seems that everything that glitters is not gold, as the MCU star talked about feeling stuck after working on large objects.
Saldanha’s words came after the actress, who is preparing for one of the blockbusters of 2022, “Avatar: The Way of Water“, which will be released in theaters on December 16. Due to the fact that the long-awaited sequel is waiting for a lot of promotions, the Hollywood star was honest with WWD. about the lack of a sense of creativity, working only on high-budget film franchises for a decade.
I feel like I’ve just been stuck for the last 10 years of my life. I felt stuck on these franchises. I am very grateful for the opportunities they have provided, from collaborating with wonderful directors and meeting actors I consider friends, and for the opportunity to play a role that fans, especially children, love. But it also meant that I felt artistically stuck in my craft, unable to expand, grow or challenge myself by playing in different genres and different roles. So this is something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time. And also to fight this pressure that society puts on women, that your youth goes away as soon as you have children and you reach the age of 40.
Playing famous characters in several franchises was a double-edged sword for the beloved actress. Her increased profile allowed her to take on more roles, but led to her being seen only as a science fiction and action star. Fortunately, in recent months, Saldana has broken out of her cowardice thanks to the slanderous farce “Amsterdam” and the beloved Netflix miniseries “From Scratch.” It looks like the MCU star is finally starting to find balance as she follows Avatar 2 with one of the biggest films of 2023, Guardians of the Galaxy. 3, which will be released in theaters on May 5.
While she felt branded the star of the franchise, Saldana used her frustration to fight back against Hollywood ageist beliefs. Like many actresses, the “Star Trek” star faced problems related to her attractiveness as a wife and mother of three children. She decided to take control of her career again, becoming a 44-year-old showbiz actress.
But today, when I am 44, I have these opportunities, and I have taken control of my aging, I have taken control of my voice and how I consider myself a woman. And I’m so happy that I can collaborate with directors and producers, as well as with people in this industry who want it for women, want women to be ageless, and who don’t fetishize female youth. And so interesting. It’s really interesting.
Saldanha takes control of his acting career after spending a decade as a reliable action star. She fights Hollywood’s obsession with women and aging by creating projects for herself if the system doesn’t want it.
Zoe Saldanha will appear and produce another TV project “Lioness” together with Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan. This does not mean that her time as a franchise star has come to an end, as she will appear in Avatar 3 and its possible sequels Avatar 4 and 5. She will return to the role of Lieutenant Uhura in the third sequel to Star Trek. still in development.
