Zoe Saldana takes ‘Giant’ leaps
‘Infinity War,’ two ‘Avatar’ movies also in the works
Between guarding the galaxy and hanging out on the colorful planet of Pandora, Zoe Saldana isn’t getting much chance to show her real face these days.
That’s why her role as a good-hearted psychologist reaching out to a struggling young girl in the fantasy adventure I Kill Giants (in theaters Friday) is so different but also so important to her.
Ms. Mollé (Saldana) is a school counselor and confidante to 12-year-old Barbara (Madison Wolfe), who’s convinced she’s the only one who can keep her town safe from a dangerous giant. “The message that gives out — what happens when an adult reserves judgment as best as she can, and how much that can aid a child who’s in dire need of the right kind of attention — is what moved me the most,” Saldana says.
The actress takes a bigger role in saving the day in her upcoming big-budget fare. She’s back as green-skinned Guardians of the Galaxy assassin Gamora in Avengers: Infinity War (April 27), joining Earth’s mightiest heroes in fighting off her adoptive father, cosmic villain Thanos. And Saldana reprises her role as blue Na’vi warrior Neytiri in the next two Avatar movies (out Dec. 18, 2020, and Dec. 17, 2021), sequels to James Cameron’s sci-fi blockbuster.
Saldana, 39, talks about her busy movie slate, plus BESE, a new social platform dedicated to highlighting stories of underrepresented communities.
Question: Gamora probably needed somebody like Ms. Mollé to talk out issues with her dad.
Saldana: You’re so right! If Gamora had a Ms. Mollé, she probably would have never met the Guardians. (Laughs)
Q: How different was filming Infinity War than a Guardians movie? Saldana: The thought of it was more daunting than the reality. It was so even-keel, and the energy was so welcoming and positive and exciting.
Q: From the trailer, we know at the very least that Gamora meets Thor.
Saldana: She’s very much like, “Eh.” The Guardians are so arrogant — like the way we say in Queens, they’re so ghetto. They didn’t have great upbringings, and their manners aren’t as polished as one would like them to be.
Q: In building BESE, how have you been inspired by a changing culture?
Saldana: I was inspired by Millennials right now. Their demand for trans- parency, their curiosity, their identity and their sense of justice has overwhelmed and humbled me. After becoming a mother, it became a mission to me because I can’t just be empathetic. I have to be compassionate, and compassion requires action.
Q: How much did you miss Neytiri over the years?
Saldana: So much. I couldn’t wait to get back to Pandora. It’s going to be a very emotional and moving saga that Jim has built for all of us to experience.
Q: You didn’t have kids when doing the original movie. Has being a mom changed your approach to that world?
Saldana: Absolutely. Becoming a mother changed just the kind of projects I want to be a part of. I’ve become a little relentless about exercising my voice about what I feel should be an accurate representation of females and also race and culture. I’m proud of that, because I’m also conveying it with love and respect vs. coming from anger, which I don’t think is the right approach anymore.