Zoe Saldana has given Steven Spielberg credit for restoring her faith in filmmaking.
It became What do I study?
and my voice became an instrument.
Zoe SaldañaTristan Fewings/Getty Images
When youre young, you unconsciously gravitate towards things you identify with.
When Nicholas Hytner was casting for a film about ballet, it was like a sign from the universe.
I barely had my SAG card.
I was learning as I was going.
I hung out with the camera department, asking the DP: What are you doing?
That became my school.
And I learned the kind of people I wanted to work with.
OnAvatar(2009, 2022)…Ignorance is bliss.
Theres this fearlessness when youre young.
I thought, Im going to do whatever my director asks me to do.
And it was James Cameron.
Every day, Sam Worthington and I sat watching this scientist.
It was a wonderful, extremely collaborative experience.
I still cant believe that I won the lottery.
The impact thatAvatarhad caught us all by surprise.
Maybe Jim had a feeling, hes so confident.
But we knew it was special: the messaging is so important.
Sci-fi is that genre that has been constant and consistent.
Content creators have the ability to imagine the unimaginable.Avataris a reflection of how the technology continues to evolve.
OnStar Trek(2009)…JJ Abrams came to theAvatarset, he and Jim were talking.
Jim said, I think I just pulled your next job.
Have you ever seenStar Trek?
OnInfinitely Polar Bear(2014)…This was a love story.
Talking to doctors and caretakers of people with mental illness, you cant reason with them.
It was compelling, and my heart goes out to them.
True life stories are harder for me.
Whatever you do, youre not going to get it fully right.
Im going to take a break from biopics, but some stories are too hard to turn down.
I wasnt a mum yet, and I discovered it was harder for women when they start a family.
Youre punished for wanting more.
I appreciate that today a whole lot more than I did back then.
I feared being typecast, and my team were worried for me.
Im dyslexic, Im not as confident as Id like to be.
I wanted to be in that skin, and know what that felt like.
Exec producing the series means I stalk Taylor while hes editing.
I like to feel empowered and in control.
It gives me security.
Being a producer gives me a collaborative position.
Rita is paranoid, but shes upset with her environment of injustice, decadence and greed.
The musical moments give her an escape.
That visibility made me realise how invisible Id felt.
It was a sign were going in the right direction.
The warm reception (to the movie) has far exceeded our expectations.
Its Spanish, its a musical, and yet people feel it.
