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WRITTEN BY Amanda Montell
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When asked if she actively longs to pursue different genres, Saldana seems pleasantly disinterested—a fan of sci-fi since childhood, she’s happy to inhabit this world for as long as it keeps serving her so generously. It’s a part of that smaller reality behind the bright yellow door that feels so blissful to her. What else is a part of that reality? Bese, of course, and its small staff of content creators. Meditation, newly. “I’m a mother of three, an entrepreneur, and a full-time professional. I’m super hyper and have a restless mind.
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Repairing our culture’s deeply flawed media portrayals of LatinX communities has become a life mission for Saldana. Two years ago she launched a digital content platform called Bese (bee-say), which showcases LatinX artists, business leaders, and other hidden figures we don’t often see in traditional media. “Bese was conceived from wanting to tell stories of American faces that go blatantly omitted every day from the mainstream narrative,” Saldana explains. “In 1960, 15% of Americans were multicultural. Today it's 49%. That's half of the population. But turn on your TV, go to museums, open your textbooks, and nothing really reflects that America. When my sons were born, my husband and I decided that by the time they start demanding devices, we want them to know that we were building content that they can feel
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all-time biggest sci-fi action stars—seems more earthbound in person than I imagined. I’m surprised to hear that the actress, best known for her otherworldly roles in the Avatar, Star Trek, and Guardians of the Galaxy franchises, drove herself to today’s interview, though I’m unsurprised to find she made our reservation under a code name, like a spy. The line between magical superhuman and grounded mortal woman is one Saldana walks every day.
One moment she’s on the set of a $200 million dollar film, a special effects artist coating her frame in turquoise body paint. She goes
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“I’m exhausted. So I’ve been listening to Deepak Chopra to settle down,” she says. Though, Saldana is at her most blissed-out when listening to Afropunk music, which she names as the one thing that makes her feel most optimistic about humankind in general. “People like Benjamin Clementine, Jacob Banks, Leon Bridges, Gary Clark Jr., Devonté Hynes, Moses Sumney,” she gushes. “When I listen to their music, they make me feel gender-neutral and colorless, like even matter doesn’t exist.”
For now, we can expect to continue seeing Saldana in green and blue, soaring through make-believe galaxies. (The next Avengers is slated for an April 26 release, and she has two Avatar sequels in the works. She also lends her voice to a new animated adventure movie, Missing Link, out April 10.) “I align myself with those who are of like mind, find happiness, and win in those places,” she says. “There have been many directors who are on the same page as me, so I never lost hope. Now we all live together in space.”
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Repairing our culture’s deeply flawed media portrayals of LatinX communities has become a life mission for Saldana. Two years ago she launched a digital content platform called Bese (bee-say), which showcases LatinX artists, business leaders, and other hidden figures we don’t often see in traditional media. “Bese was conceived from wanting to tell stories of American faces that go blatantly omitted every day from the mainstream narrative,” Saldana explains. “In 1960, 15% of Americans were multicultural. Today it's 49%. That's half of the population. But turn on your TV, go to museums, open your textbooks, and nothing really reflects that America. When my sons were born, my husband and I decided that by the time they start demanding devices, we want them to know that we were building content that they can feel represented by—that they can feel Latino and Italian and deserving of the American dream.”
When asked if she actively longs to pursue different genres, Saldana seems pleasantly disinterested—a fan of sci-fi since childhood, she’s happy to inhabit this world for as long as it keeps serving her so generously. It’s a part of that smaller reality behind the bright yellow door that feels so blissful to her. What else is a part of that reality? Bese, of course, and its small staff of content creators. Meditation, newly. “I’m a mother of three, an entrepreneur, and a full-time professional. I’m super hyper and have a restless mind.
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In a way, this vision for her kids, and for multicultural youth everywhere, is an extension of what Saldana’s own mother tried to do for her. Saldana’s father died when she was 9, so her mom raised her and her two sisters—partially in the Dominican Republic, partially in Jackson Heights, New York—all on her own. “A bit of a Bohemian,” Saldana says of her mom, who encouraged her kids to look inward for inspiration if they couldn’t see it on TV or in magazines. “She just didn’t allow us to surrender to the reality that we were different,” Saldana continues. “That’s what’s kept me from becoming bitter, I think—creating my own reality, where I am not a victim. My reality is definitely smaller than what’s going on, but, lord, am I blissful here.”
For now, we can expect to continue seeing Saldana in green and blue, soaring through make-believe galaxies. (The next Avengers is slated for an April 26 release, and she has two Avatar sequels in the works. She also lends her voice to a new animated adventure movie, Missing Link, out April 10.) “I align myself with those who are of like mind, find happiness, and win in those places,” she says. “There have been many directors who are on the same page as me, so I never lost hope. Now we all live together in space.”
Nanushka
Proenza Schouler Canvas Denim Cropped Jacket ($990) and Belted Parachute Crepe Pants ($790); Acne Studios Katrina Tank Top ($260); Cartier Clash de Cartier 18k Pink Gold Small Necklace ($2370) and 18k Pink Gold
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where I am not a victim. My reality is definitely smaller than what’s going on, but, lord, am I blissful here.”
Of course, fielding discrimination is not as easy as a change in perspective, and Saldana acknowledges that for folks like her, whose identities don’t fall neatly into one cultural box, daily existence can feel wearying. “You live at home with your family’s culture, but when you step outside, you’re typically ‘American,’ and by the time you’re 14 or 15, you realize you're exhausted of being two different people,” she tells me, stirring her freshly grated ginger. Being an ambitious woman on top of it all can make the fight against being typecast, both in life and on screen, even greater. “It’s confusing because you feel proud of who you
Surprisingly, Mel Gibson also springs to Saldana’s mind. “I don’t care about his personal preferences,” she says by way of disclaimer. “But as a performer, he pushes himself. He can be tough and then vulnerable. He’s multifaceted, and I really admire that.”
In fairness, the late ’90s didn’t exactly offer Saldana many entertainers she could even relate to, much less model her career after. “There was nobody that looked like me,” she says. “Lack of representation gave me the feeling that I was on my own. I didn’t want to be an ethnic actress.
Proenza Schouler Canvas Denim Cropped Jacket ($990); Acne Studios Katrina Tank Top ($260); Cartier Clash de Cartier Small Model Necklace ($TK) and Large Model
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Chloé Ruffled Paisley Jacquard Silk Blouse ($1440), Tube Skirt in Foam Knit With Front Slit ($1650), and Twist Belt ($815); Bulgari B.Zero1 Hoop Earrings ($2750), XXth Anniversary Five-Band Ring ($2400), and Design Legend Bangle Bracelet ($15,500); Diamond Foundry Marquise Top of Ear Cuff ($1890); Manolo Blahnik Crisscross Suede Lace-Up Sandals in Camel ($268)
Proenza Schouler Canvas Denim Cropped Jacket ($990) and Belted Parachute Crepe Pants ($790); Acne Studios Katrina
Tank Top ($260); Cartier Clash de Cartier Small Model
Necklace ($TK) and Large Model Necklace ($TK); Repossi Single Bar Ear Cuff ($4200), Antifer Ring With Diamonds ($27,500), and Antifer Gold Ring With White Diamonds ($15,000); Gianvito Rossi Portofino 105 Heels ($815)
Bottega Veneta dress; Buglari B.Zero1 Single Ear Cuff ($1430); Jennifer Fisher 4" Large Double Slice Earrings ($560) and XL Stripe Gold-Plated Cuff ($825)
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With White Diamonds ($15,000); Diamond Foundry ring; Christian Louboutin Moona Heels ($1045)
Surprisingly, Mel Gibson also springs to Saldana’s mind. “I don’t care about his personal preferences,” she says by way of disclaimer. “But as a performer, he pushes himself. He can be tough and then vulnerable. He’s multifaceted, and I really admire that.”
In fairness, the late ’90s didn’t exactly offer Saldana many entertainers she could even relate to, much less model her career after. “There was nobody that looked like me,” she says. “Lack of representation gave me the feeling that I was on my own. I didn’t want to be an ethnic actress. I don't want to be the token black person, the girlfriend, the damsel in distress.” Saldana says she built her résumé “dodging bullets—the bullets being boxes people wanted to put me in.” Where did the jagged path between the bullets lead her? “To space,” she tells me. To the blue- and green-skinned aliens Neytiri and Gamora. “We still have a long way to go, but it’s not a coincidence that filmmakers who love science fiction are much more gender-neutral. Because space is vast. It’s free. There are no rules,” she says.
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PHOTOGRAPHER: Hudson Taylor STYLIST: Petra Flannery
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MAKEUP ARTIST: Amy Oresman
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VIDEOGRAPHER: Sam Schultz
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Of course, fielding discrimination is not as easy as a change in perspective, and Saldana acknowledges that for folks like her, whose identities don’t fall neatly into one cultural box, daily existence can feel wearying. “You live at home with your family’s culture, but when you step outside, you’re typically ‘American,’ and by the time you’re 14 or 15, you realize you're exhausted of being two different people,” she tells me, stirring her freshly grated ginger. Being an ambitious woman on top of it all can make the fight against being typecast, both in life and on screen, even greater. “It’s confusing because you feel proud of who you are. You don’t want to be white,” she says. “But you feel slighted because even though you might be included in some spaces, you’re at the same time immediately excluded. Because you’re trained to be the supporting anchor to a white person, a white story, a white event. But as an artist, I have an ego. I want to get the main part. I want to win.”
Two decades ago, when she was doing theater in New York and just starting to book on-screen roles, Saldana had no grand vision for her career—that is, other than to be a versatile performer. The kind no one could pigeonhole. When asked whom in Hollywood she looked up to back then, she names Point Break director Kathryn Bigelow: “She lives in so many genres. She’s both feminine and masculine; you can't pin her down.”
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Balmain top; Mugler jeans; Jennifer Fisher Single Large Star Earring ($650); Bulgari B.Zero1 Four-Band Ring Set With Pave Diamonds on Edges ($9350); Repossi Antifer Gold Ring With White
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Akris Varitas Net Parka ($2390); Who What Wear Long Sleeve Button-Up Drawstring Jacket ($50); Jennifer Fisher 4" Large Double Slice Earrings ($560);
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“I’m exhausted. So I’ve been listening to Deepak Chopra to settle down,” she says. Though, Saldana is at her most blissed-out when listening to Afropunk music, which she names as the one thing that makes her feel most optimistic about humankind in general. “People like Benjamin Clementine, Jacob Banks, Leon Bridges, Gary Clark Jr., Devonté Hynes, Moses Sumney,” she gushes. “When I listen to their music, they make me feel gender-neutral and colorless, like even matter doesn’t exist.”
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Beaded tulle top
Clare Shirt
Serenely arranged in a spacious pistachio-colored booth at a hotel in Beverly Hills—the kind of time-honored space where A-list celebrities breakfast clandestinely—Zoe Saldana reaches her hand into the air toward a man in a starched white apron. “I’d love some ginger tea—with real ginger, por favor,” the 40-year-old actress requests, shifting fluidly between languages as she will throughout our conversation. “Grated, not chopped, and with a little bit of limón y miel? Gracias. Gracias.”
Draped in a mocha-colored V-neck and precisely matching slacks, no makeup, and rectangular eyeglasses, which she periodically removes and replaces as she speaks, Saldana—one of Hollywood’s
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represented by—that they can feel Latino and Italian and deserving of the American dream.”
In a way, this vision for her kids, and for multicultural youth everywhere, is an extension of what Saldana’s own mother tried to do for her. Saldana’s father died when she was 9, so her mom raised her and her two sisters—partially in the Dominican Republic, partially in Jackson Heights, New York—all on her own. “A bit of a Bohemian,” Saldana says of her mom, who encouraged her kids to look inward for inspiration if they couldn’t see it on TV or in magazines. “She just didn’t allow us to surrender to the reality that we were different,” Saldana continues. “That’s what’s kept me from becoming bitter, I think—creating my own reality,
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home to a Beverly Hills mansion with a bright yellow door—“I wanted walking into our home to feel like sunshine,” she smiles—that she shares with her Italian husband. (“Sapevo sempre,” Saldana says in Italian. “I always knew I’d marry someone from one of the five main Romance languages.”) At night, Saldana tucks in the couple’s three trilingual sons; the cherubic boys look like princes with their hair all long, she says, pulling up photos on her phone to show me.
But the next moment, Saldana is toiling over how to amend Hollywood’s severe lack of LatinX representation. Or she’s at a Tijuana shelter, where she spent time this past February visiting border refugees from Honduras and El Salvador.
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Chloé Ruffled Paisley Jacquard Silk Blouse ($1440), Tube
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WRITTEN BY Amanda Montell
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Bottega Veneta dress; Buglari B.Zero1 Single Ear Cuff ($1430); Jennifer Fisher 4" Large Double Slice Earrings ($560) and XL Stripe Gold-Plated Cuff ($825)
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and 18k Pink Gold Diamond Necklace ($6250); Repossi Single Bar Ear Cuff ($4200)
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Serenely arranged in a spacious pistachio-colored booth at a hotel in Beverly Hills—the kind of time-honored space where A-list celebrities breakfast clandestinely—Zoe Saldana reaches her hand into the air toward a man in a starched white apron. “I’d love some ginger tea—with real ginger, por favor,” the 40-year-old actress requests, shifting fluidly between languages as she will throughout our conversation. “Grated, not chopped, and with a little bit of limón y miel? Gracias. Gracias.”
Draped in a mocha-colored V-neck and precisely matching slacks, no makeup, and rectangular eyeglasses, which she periodically removes and replaces as she speaks, Saldana—one of Hollywood’s all-time biggest sci-fi action stars—seems more earthbound in person than I imagined. I’m surprised to hear that the actress, best known for her otherworldly roles in the Avatar, Star Trek, and Guardians of the Galaxy franchises, drove herself to today’s interview, though I’m unsurprised to find she made our reservation under a code name, like a spy. The line between magical superhuman and grounded mortal woman is one Saldana walks every day.
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Christian Dior dress; Cartier Clash de Cartier 18k Pink Gold Earrings ($7500) and 18k Pink Gold Small Bracelet ($6600); Jennifer Fisher Stripe Gold-Plated Ring ($200) and cuff;
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One moment she’s on the set of a $200 million dollar film, a special effects artist coating her frame in turquoise body paint. She goes home to
a Beverly Hills mansion with a bright yellow door—“I wanted walking into our home to feel like sunshine,” she smiles—that she shares with her Italian husband. (“Sapevo sempre,” Saldana says in Italian. “I always knew I’d marry someone from one of the five main Romance languages.”) At night, Saldana tucks in the couple’s three trilingual sons; the cherubic boys look like princes with their hair all long, she says, pulling up photos on her phone to show me.
But the next moment, Saldana is toiling over how to amend Hollywood’s severe lack of LatinX representation. Or she’s at a Tijuana shelter, where she spent time this past February visiting border refugees from Honduras and El Salvador.
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3.1 phillip lim
are. You don’t want to be white,” she says. “But you feel slighted because even though you might be included in some spaces, you’re at the same time immediately excluded. Because you’re trained to be the supporting anchor to a white person, a white story, a white event. But as an artist, I have an ego. I want to get the main part. I want to win.”
Two decades ago, when she was doing theater in New York and just starting to book on-screen roles, Saldana had no grand vision for her career—that is, other than to be a versatile performer. The kind no one could pigeonhole. When asked whom in Hollywood she looked up to back then, she names Point Break director Kathryn Bigelow: “She lives in so many genres. She’s both feminine and masculine; you can't pin her down.”
I don't want to be the token black person, the girlfriend, the damsel in distress.” Saldana says she built her résumé “dodging bullets—the bullets being boxes people wanted to put me in.” Where did the jagged path between the bullets lead her? “To space,” she tells me. To the blue- and green-skinned aliens Neytiri and Gamora. “We still have a long way to go, but it’s not a coincidence that filmmakers who love science fiction are much more gender-neutral. Because space is vast. It’s free. There are no rules,” she says.