Zoë Saldana is featured in the September 2011 issue of Ebony Magazine.
In the issue:
Saldana claims Queens, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic as her roots and her sangre. Yet she won’t linger on the matter of her heritage. She’d prefer to simply discuss Zoë, the actress, the one to be feared because she will get that role. And that’s why she who rocked the world in Avatar will soon kick major ass—as a human this time—in this month’s killer revenge-action flick, Colombiana. She portrays Cateleya Restrepo, an assassin who, as a schoolgirl, saw her parents murdered by a cartel. Consequently, the girl grows up with a couple of guns and one hell of a chip on her shoulder. Saldana loves Cateleya because of the character’s vulnerability, anger, athleticism and fear. She also embraces the idea that this leading role destroys yet another barrier of so-called rules in Black Hollywood, which is why she will not and cannot complain about color, race and roles.
“When I go after a part, [people] better watch their backs,” she says. “Not because I’m going to crush everybody, but because I’m going to give the best that I can because I strive for excellence. When you don’t get a part, it is for a reason, and these pieces will fall into place soon. … We have a Black president right now, so why the f— would I sit down and talk about how hard it is for Black women in Hollywood when there’s a Black president in my country?”
Strong words from the tall beauty full of grace (she’s also a classically trained ballet dancer) who just hours earlier pranced about a lush green garden in a ruffled Oscar de la Renta gown for her cover shoot. Given her penchant for playing the female aggressor, such talk is not completely unexpected. Saldana is confident but not arrogant. She enjoys the trappings of success while also lamenting the loss of anonymity that interrupts Tia Zoë and a much-loved niece during a trip to Madame Toussauds Wax Museum. But again, she’s not complaining because that’s not her nature. She’ll find a way to make Toussauds happen by taking charge. And when she does, watch out.
Read more in the September issue of EBONY available on newsstands now!
Her new film Columbiana co-stars Michael Vartan, Callum Blue, and opens in theaters on August 26.
Photo: Ebony
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