Zoe Saldaa recently said in an interview with Women’s Wear Daily that she has been “stuck” as an actor for more than ten years as a result of her numerous franchise commitments. Her iconic roles as Neytiri in Avatar, Gamora in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Uhura in Star Trek are among these commitments.
Saldaa also acknowledged that she thinks juggling three sizable franchises for almost ten years restricted her prospects and slowed her development as an actor. Zoe Saldaa has been a part of such high-profile blockbusters for more than ten years. She acknowledged that she was grateful for her roles, but she also said, “I feel that for the last 10 years of my life, I’ve been just stuck. I felt stuck doing these franchises.”
She added, “I’m very grateful for the opportunities that they provided, from collaborating with amazing directors and getting to meet cast members that I consider friends and getting to play a role that fans, especially children, love. But it also meant that I felt artistically stuck in my craft of not being able to expand or grow or challenge myself by playing different sorts of genres and different roles. So this is something that I wanted to do for a very long time. And wrestling, too, with this pressure that society puts on women that your youth is gone as soon as you have children and you go into your 40s.”
Saldaa went on to say that while she is incredibly appreciative of the experiences she has had in her career, she also expressed a desire to work with filmmakers that will push her in new directions as an actor. In Avatar: The Way of Water, which comes out on December 16, Zoe Saldaa plays Neytiri once more. Along with Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, and Kate Winslet, the film is directed by James Cameron. In contrast, Zoe also makes a comeback as Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 alongside Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Bradley Cooper, and Vin Diesel.