Top 10 Coolest Things About Zoe Saldaña

Zoe Saldaña has built one of the most wide-ranging screen careers of her generation, moving seamlessly between record-smashing blockbusters, grounded TV dramas, and producer roles that champion new voices. She’s worked across multiple mega-franchises, helped push performance-capture technology forward, and backed projects that spotlight multicultural stories. Along the way, she has leveraged classical dance training, multilingual roots, and business savvy to expand what a modern screen star can do—on and off camera.

‘Avatar’ (2009) – a landmark performance-capture lead

Saldaña plays Neytiri, a central character brought to life through full-body and facial performance capture. The role required specialized dialect work, archery practice, and movement training to reflect the character’s world and culture. Her captured performance was then translated into the final photoreal character by visual-effects teams, preserving her expressions and physicality. The film’s success helped establish performance capture as a mainstream tool for character-driven storytelling.

‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ (2022) – underwater action through next-gen tech

Returning as Neytiri, Saldaña performed extensive sequences captured underwater, a technical challenge that demanded rigorous freediving preparation. The production used advanced systems to record actors’ motions beneath the surface, integrating them with digital environments. Her work helped the sequel fuse live performance with aquatic world-building at feature scale. The end result demonstrated how underwater capture can be integrated into long, complex narrative scenes.

‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ (2014–2023) – building a franchise-defining antihero

As Gamora, Saldaña anchors a space-heist ensemble through combat choreography, weapons training, and hours of green makeup and prosthetics. The character threads through solo team adventures and large crossover stories, linking multiple corners of a shared universe. Stunt and fight teams collaborated with her to craft distinctive blade-centric action beats. Her portrayal balanced assassin-level action with a developing family dynamic inside the team.

‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019) – pivotal role in a historic crossover

Saldaña’s Gamora is central to the larger ensemble conflict, intersecting with time-spanning storylines and interplanetary stakes. She worked within a production that coordinated overlapping casts, units, and effects-heavy set pieces. The role required continuity with earlier appearances while introducing character variations shaped by the film’s narrative mechanics. Her presence ties franchise threads together across multiple story arcs.

‘Star Trek’ (2009–2016) – modernizing an iconic communications officer

Taking on Nyota Uhura, Saldaña brought linguistic expertise and field-ready action beats to a classic role. The reboot emphasized Uhura’s fluency and decoding skills as mission-critical tools alongside starship operations. She collaborated with cast and crew to balance bridge-crew teamwork with character-focused scenes. The portrayal connected a legacy character to a new timeline for contemporary audiences.

‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl’ (2003) – early blockbuster momentum

Saldaña appears as Anamaria, a capable sailor whose skills are integral to the crew’s seafaring plans. The film’s large-scale ship sets and stunt work gave her early experience with effects-driven action. Her performance added a no-nonsense counterweight within a comedic adventure framework. The role helped position her for later franchise-level opportunities.

‘From Scratch’ (2022) – star and executive producer on a memoir adaptation

Saldaña headlines and executive produces this limited series based on Tembi Locke’s memoir. The project focuses on cross-cultural family dynamics, food, and grief, with international locations and multilingual scenes. As a producer, she helped steer the adaptation from page to screen while anchoring its emotional throughline. The show broadened her portfolio into prestige limited-series storytelling.

‘Lioness’ (2023– ) – leading and producing a modern spy thriller

In this Paramount+ series created by Taylor Sheridan, Saldaña stars as the leader of a covert program navigating high-risk counterterror operations. She serves as an executive producer, collaborating on tone, casting, and production planning. The role blends tactical action with command-level decision-making and family stakes. It showcases her continued shift into creative leadership behind the camera.

Record-setting box office milestones across multiple franchises

Saldaña is the rare performer whose filmography includes multiple entries among the highest-grossing releases worldwide. Her appearances span space opera, science fiction epics, and ensemble superhero films. This cross-franchise presence reflects sustained audience reach across very different story worlds. The achievement highlights a career shaped by large-scale, effects-driven productions and recurring lead roles.

Championing representation through media ventures and advocacy

Beyond acting, Saldaña founded the media platform BESE to amplify underrepresented stories in news and culture. She has used producing roles to support projects led by women and creators of color. Public interviews and initiatives have emphasized inclusive hiring and authentic storytelling across film and television. These efforts align her on-screen choices with sustained off-screen impact.

Got another favorite Zoe Saldaña moment or role I missed? Share your thoughts in the comments!