In the “Avatar” franchise, Zoe Saldana almost resembled a blue Na’vi princess, and she wore green makeup to portray the reformed Gamora in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies.
The performer of Dominican and Puerto Rican descent spoke, sang, and even rapped in her native Spanish, fully inhabiting her own Afro-Latina skin in the psychedelic narco-musical “Emilia Perez,” for which she won an Oscar on Sunday.
The 46-year-old Saldana, who won the Academy Award for best supporting actress, said, “I am a proud child of immigrant parents with dreams, dignity, and hard-working hands.
“I’m the first Dominican American to receive an Academy Award.” And I am certain that I won’t be the last.
Saldana defeated Felicity Jones (“The Brutalist”), Isabella Rossellini (“Conclave,” Isabella Rossellini (“Conclave”), Monica Barbaro (“A Complete Unknown”), and Ariana Grande (“Wicked”) to win the award.
Saldana portrays Rita, a neglected Mexican attorney, in “Emilia Perez.” A drug lord attempts to fake his own death so that he can have gender-affirming surgery and live as a woman, but her life drastically changes.
The title character, who initially leaves her wife (Selena Gomez) and two children behind, accepts her new identity, but ultimately accepts them with tragic consequences. Karla Sofia Gascon is the protagonist.
Rita quickly catches her breath in the drama’s midst.
Saldana, who has received formal dance instruction, enjoys her big scene in the movie when Rita dances and raps to “El Mal,” revealing the secrets of Mexico’s elites at a charity dinner where Perez becomes an advocate for drug-traffickers.
Before French director Jacques Audiard rewrote the role, which was intended for a man of Mexican descent, Saldana claimed that “the opportunity never really came” for her to do it in Spanish.
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Yearning for that reconnecting;
Saldana was born in New Jersey on June 19, 1978, to a Dominican-Puerto Rican mother. She was raised bilingual in New York before moving to the Dominican Republic when her father passed away.
She began studying dance, particularly ballet, there.
Saldana appeared in some youth theater productions after graduating from high school and returned to New York.
She made her first movie role in 2000’s “Center Stage” as a ballet student after appearing in an episode of the television series “Law &, Order.”
She appeared in the critically acclaimed “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” a few years later, which gave her a number of smaller roles.
Saldana’s big break came in 2009 with her role in James Cameron’s sci-fi epic “Avatar,” which was the highest-grossing movie ever. She resigned from the “Star Trek” reboot in the same year as Lieutenant Uhura.
Saldana reprised her role in the Marvel “Guardians of the Galaxy” series five years later, which led to the release of two “Avengers” movies.
Saldana told Elle she wanted more, despite the fact that her status as a bankable franchise star was unquestionable.
“I was very much like, “Well, that’s okay, I’m going to dance to the beat of my own drum and go to space and be green and blue and I’ll do all those things.” Then, she said, “I’m yearning for that reconnection after 15 years.”
New “Avatar” movie is on the horizon.
And Audiard followed.
When I sat in front of me and saw a determined woman in her 40s with a strong past, I realized I had made the wrong choice. My characters were too young, I realized! They needed to be more senior, Audiard told The Hollywood Reporter.
Saldana had previously starred in four movies, each earning more than $ 2 billion at the global box office, including two “Avatar” movies and two “Avengers” movies.
Her Oscars-winning campaign was halted by controversy over her previous tweets from Gascon, which Saldana claimed had “really sad” her.
Audiard claimed that Gascon was “hurting others” and that he would continue to “champion” Saldana’s work a month prior to the gala.
A married mother of three, her upcoming projects include the Disney/Pixar space-themed animated film “Elio,” which is scheduled for release in June, and a new “Avatar” installment that is scheduled for December.
Source: Channels TV
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