Zoe Saldaña on the Women Who Lit Her Path to Stardom

Ask around for the world’s most bankable film star, and you’ll likely hear a string of male names. The reality, though, is rather different. The two actors who’ve raked in the most at the global box office are both women: Scarlett Johansson and Zoe Saldaña. While Johansson’s name might eventually spring to mind, thanks to her turns in Marvel and Jurassic Park, Saldaña’s is often overlooked, despite her starring roles in a string of colossal franchises—think Avatar, Star Trek, and Pirates of the Caribbean. That’s before you even get to her recent television work, like the thriller Special Ops: Lioness, or her voice work for Pixar’s Elio, not to mention her Oscar-winning performance in Emilia Pérez.

With nearly $15 billion in ticket sales to her name, Saldaña’s career is nothing short of remarkable. She’s even poised to overtake Johansson once the latest Avatar instalment, Fire and Ash, finishes its run. Yet, for all her success, she’s not quite the household name some of her peers are. She’s spoken candidly about how her heritage—Dominican and Puerto Rican, though she grew up in New Jersey—has played a part in that, as has the tendency for some to look down their noses at superhero fare. It’s a curious thing, given her more than two decades in the business and the sheer scale of her achievements.

Early Inspirations and Representation

Despite the challenges, Saldaña never felt a lack of role models on screen as a child.

“I did! As a child, when I saw Sigourney Weaver play Ellen Ripley [in Alien] or Linda Hamilton play Sarah Connor [in Terminator], they were my true north, because I loved action, I loved science fiction, and I loved the roles that they played. They were inspiring to me; I wanted that. It wasn’t until I started in my own career that I was reminded that I wasn’t ‘like’ them.”

It’s telling that both of these characters sprang from the mind of James Cameron, with whom Saldaña would later forge a long-standing creative partnership.

She signed on to lead Cameron’s Avatar at just 28, and by the time the fifth and final chapter lands in 2031, she’ll be 54. That’s a rare stretch for any actor, let alone in a single role. She’s spoken about the experience with genuine warmth:

“It’s a gift to be able to revisit a character that has given me so much. To revisit a place that has been so magical. Not just for me, but for so many people in the world”.

Ongoing Success and New Ventures

While the Avatar saga continues, Saldaña isn’t standing still. She’s set to return as CIA officer Joe McNamara in the much-talked-about Special Ops: Lioness, which was renewed for a third series and is currently filming. Her performance in the show, which draws on the real-life exploits of undercover female agents, earned her a Critics’ Choice award. The cast also features Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman, adding further star power to the project.

Saldaña’s journey, shaped by the trailblazing women she admired as a child, has seen her break barriers and redefine what’s possible for women of colour in Hollywood. Her story is one of persistence, talent, and a refusal to be boxed in by other people’s expectations.