Zoe Saldana as Gamora in “Guardians of the Galaxy”
For 10 years, James Cameron’s sci-fi adventure “Avatar” was the highest-grossing movie of all time, unchallenged until the juggernaut superhero caper “Avengers: Endgame” came along. The Russo Brothers’ film dethroned it in the third week of July this year.
But the “rival” effects-heavy flicks have one thing in common—one actress, rather, who stars in both of those films: Zoe Saldana.
She recently appeared in Marvel’s “Endgame” as the rogue warrior Gamora, a role she first portrayed in James Gunn’s 2014 film, “Guardians of the Galaxy.”
On Instagram, Saldana posted old behind-the-scenes photos of herself wearing a special headgear, motion-acting the “Avatar” character Neytiri, beside stills of the CGI alien tribeswoman projecting similar expressions.
In another post, a recent selfie, Saldana expressed gratitude for being involved in both endeavors.
“Feeling grateful today. Being a part of two groundbreaking stories feels as surreal today as it did back then, when I first joined both projects,” said the versatile actress, who also starred as Uhura in the rebooted “Star Trek” and singer Nina Simone in “Nina.”
“I am thankful to [James Cameron] for giving me my very first opportunity to be free. You are the most incredible director I have ever had the privilege to work with. And thanks to you, I was able to catch the eye of [James Gunn] for Gamora.”
The actress as Neytiri in “Avatar”
Saldana, 41, then thanked Gunn: “JG, you too believed in me. Who would’ve thought that a little girl from Queens, New York could reach so high, but I did! I’m only getting started. To all my fans, everything I do is for you. Believe in yourself, please. We all have the power to reach our highest potential if we are given a fair and equal chance to rise to the top!”
When she received a star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame last year, she said, “I learned to love what I do and do what I love, and that has been my mantra. From Burger King commercials to ‘Law and Order’… to a ballet movie. I got to be a pirate, an INS officer, a xenolinguist on the Enterprise. I got to be an alien warrior—well, multiple alien warriors.”
At the event, Cameron said, “I may be king of the world, but she is queen of the universe.”
Saldana is set to star again in planned “Avatar” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” sequels. —OLIVER PULUMBARIT