ZOE SALDANA
The actress reprises her role as alien Gamora in Guardians Of The Galaxy Volume 2
A MOTHER’S LOVE
After her dad’s death in a car accident when she was nine Zoe’s mom, Asalia, worked as a courtroom translator and hotel maid to support Zoe and her sisters, Mariel and Cisely. After living in the Dominican Republic for a while they moved to the US, where Zoe was teased about her mixed-race heritage. When she asked her mom what race she was, Asalia would say, “You’re Zoe . . . You’re my daughter, your grandma’s granddaughter,” Zoe (38) recalls. “She wouldn’t go, ‘You’re a woman of colour, always remember it; this world’s going to be rough.’ Why would she? Why stop my flight before I take off?”
SISTERS DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES
“I come from a family of tough women,” says Zoe, adding that she thrives on female solidarity. She and her sisters – her best friends – co-founded production company Cinestar Pictures. They’re all producers and have already made a few TV series including Rosemary’s Baby, in which Zoe starred. The sisters use their YouTube channel to tell stories that celebrate women and their lives.
FAMILY OF FIVE
Her husband of four years, Italian artist Marco Perego Saldana (38), made waves when he took his wife’s surname after the pair tied the knot. They’re clearly devoted to each other and Zoe says communication is the key to their happy union. “Talk about everything. No reserved feelings. If you’re in the bathroom while I’m in the shower, let’s just share five things,” says the Avatar star. “You can’t get lazy with the most important work in your life, which is your home, your family.” And her secret to maintaining a successful career while raising sons, twins Cy Aridio and Bowie Ezio (2) and two-month-old Zen? “Family and the people who help us – they’re the ones who enable us to live our dreams.”
WARRIOR WOMEN
Zoe reprises her role as alien warrior Gamora in Guardians Of The Galaxy Volume 2. The sequel sees the gang of reluctant pals travel the galaxy to help Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) uncover his heritage. Zoe says when she first considered playing Gamora in 2014 she worried about doing so many sci-fi roles in quick succession – she’d played Nyota Uhura in Star Trek (2009) and Neytiri in Avatar (2009) – but decided to go with it. They were all great roles and she’s always had “an affinity for the unknown”.
STAYING GROUNDED
“I learnt early on that in order for me to be okay I need to surround myself with better people than me. I’m not being hard on myself; I’m being honest. I have a tendency to get lost in whatever environment I create for myself. And I’m an artist; I’m prone to vanity. So I look to better people than me – my husband, my parents and my friends. And I’m like, as long as I’m surrounded by you people, every time I want to go shallow you guys always remind me that it’s not about me.”
Guardians Of The Galaxy Volume 2 opens in SA cinemas on 5 May.