▲Saldaña portrayed Anamaria, a young pirate who hunts for Captain Jack Sparrow (played by Johnny Depp).

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Zoe Saldaña's first foray into film franchises was in the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' series.

▲She starred as Nyota Uhura, originally played by Nichelle Nichols - and returned to space again later that year.

▲The actress was back in space in 2013 for 'Star Trek Into Darkness,' reprising her role as Nyota Uhura.

▲A few years later, Saldaña showed up in the 'Star Trek' reboot, directed by J. J. Abrams.

▲Saldaña begged director J. J. Abrams for more action scenes, and her wish was granted.

▲She plays Gamora, an alien orphan who is hunted for her past crimes. The actress used makeup, instead of CGI, to achieve Gamora's green appearance.

▲What is it with Zoe Saldaña and space? She returned for another cosmic adventure when she joined the cast of 'Guardians of the Galaxy.'

▲Saldaña was, yet again, back in space for 'Star Trek Beyond,' directed by Justin Lin.

▲Idris Elba joined the cast as the evil Krall. He previously starred alongside Saldaña in 2010's 'The Losers.'

▲Saldaña was one of the many stars of the ambitious 'Avengers: Infinity War.'

▲In 2017, Saldaña rejoined the Guardians for another action-packed adventure.

▲Gamora and the gang must stick together while battling powerful beings, like Ego.

▲She returned for 'Endgame,' which for a time overtook 'Avatar' to become the most successful film ever at the box office.

▲What other franchise films does Zoe Saldaña have in the pipeline?

▲Spoiler alert: Gamora was actually raised by Thanos, who plays a pivotal role in the 'Avengers' series.

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Zoe Saldaña has also been announced for the new 'Star Trek' film, which is as of yet untitled and still awaiting a release date.

▲The actress returned as Na'vi native Neytiri in 'The Way of Water' and will reprise the role in the following sequel as well.

▲The actress had an important role in 'Avatar,' the highest-grossing film of all time until a decade later. More on this soon!

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She played Neytiri, a native Na'vi alien, who falls in love with the film's hero, Jake Sully (played by Sam Worthington).

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Saldaña made her final appearance as Gamora in 2023 as the Guardians concluded their story. She described the making of the final movie as "a very sweet departure." It was released in May and took in US$809 million at the box office, making it the second-highest-grossing movie of the year.

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In January 2023, her film 'Avatar: The Way of Water' surpassed US$2 billion at the worldwide box office, making Saldaña the first actor to have four movies earn more than that eye-watering amount. Her other three movies to hit the milestone are 'Avatar' (2009), 'Avengers: Infinity War' (2018), and 'Avengers: Endgame' (2019).

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Gamora and the Guardians played a big role in the film, with the evil Thanos originating from the 'Guardians' series.

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Since appearing on our screens alongside Britney Spears in ‘Crossroads’ (2002), Zoe Saldaña has come a long way in Hollywood.

Saldaña started her career by paying homage to her past in 'Center Stage' (2000), a drama that followed a group of young students at the American Ballet Academy in New York. Since then she has appeared in a string of major franchises, including 'Pirates of the Caribbean’, 'Star Trek,’ ‘Avatar,’ and 'Guardians of the Galaxy.’

However, it’s for her role as Rita Mora Castro in the 2024 musical thriller ‘Emilia Pérez’ that she scooped her first Oscar nomination, in the category of Best Supporting Actress. And now she's won it!

To celebrate this huge moment, let’s take a look back at those franchise-favorite roles that got her here.