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See Again
© NL Beeld
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'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl' (2003)
- Zoe Saldaña's first foray into film franchises was in the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' series.
© NL Beeld
1 / 24 Fotos
'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl' (2003) - Saldaña portrayed Anamaria, a young pirate who hunts for Captain Jack Sparrow (played by Johnny Depp).
© NL Beeld
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'Star Trek' (2009) - A few years later, Saldaña showed up in the 'Star Trek' reboot, directed by J. J. Abrams.
© NL Beeld
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'Star Trek' (2009) - She starred as Nyota Uhura, originally played by Nichelle Nichols - and returned to space again later that year.
© NL Beeld
4 / 24 Fotos
'Avatar' (2009) - The actress had an important role in 'Avatar,' the highest-grossing film of all time until a decade later. More on this soon!
© NL Beeld
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'Avatar' (2009)
- She played Neytiri, a native Na'vi alien, who falls in love with the film's hero, Jake Sully (played by Sam Worthington).
© NL Beeld
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'Star Trek Into Darkness' (2013) - The actress was back in space in 2013 for 'Star Trek Into Darkness,' reprising her role as Nyota Uhura.
© NL Beeld
7 / 24 Fotos
'Star Trek Into Darkness' (2013) - Saldaña begged director J. J. Abrams for more action scenes, and her wish was granted.
© NL Beeld
8 / 24 Fotos
'Guardians of the Galaxy' (2014) - What is it with Zoe Saldaña and space? She returned for another cosmic adventure when she joined the cast of 'Guardians of the Galaxy.'
© NL Beeld
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'Guardians of the Galaxy' (2014) - 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.
© NL Beeld
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'Star Trek Beyond' (2016) - Saldaña was, yet again, back in space for 'Star Trek Beyond,' directed by Justin Lin.
© NL Beeld
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'Star Trek Beyond' (2016) - Idris Elba joined the cast as the evil Krall. He previously starred alongside Saldaña in 2010's 'The Losers.'
© NL Beeld
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'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' (2017) - In 2017, Saldaña rejoined the Guardians for another action-packed adventure.
© NL Beeld
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'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' (2017) - Gamora and the gang must stick together while battling powerful beings, like Ego.
© NL Beeld
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'Avengers: Infinity War' (2018) - Saldaña was one of the many stars of the ambitious 'Avengers: Infinity War.'
© NL Beeld
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'Avengers: Infinity War' (2018)
- Gamora and the Guardians played a big role in the film, with the evil Thanos originating from the 'Guardians' series.
© NL Beeld
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'Avengers: Endgame' (2019) - She returned for 'Endgame,' which for a time overtook 'Avatar' to become the most successful film ever at the box office.
© NL Beeld
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'Avengers: Endgame' (2019) - Spoiler alert: Gamora was actually raised by Thanos, who plays a pivotal role in the 'Avengers' series.
© NL Beeld
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Breaking records
- 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).
© NL Beeld
19 / 24 Fotos
'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' 2023
- 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.
© NL Beeld
20 / 24 Fotos
The future for Saldaña - What other franchise films does Zoe Saldaña have in the pipeline?
© NL Beeld
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'Avatar' sequels - The actress returned as Na'vi native Neytiri in 'The Way of Water' and will reprise the role in the following sequel as well.
© NL Beeld
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'Star Trek 4'
- Zoe Saldaña has also been announced for the new 'Star Trek' film, which is as of yet untitled and still awaiting a release date. See also: Hollywood stars who fell for an Italian
© NL Beeld
23 / 24 Fotos
© NL Beeld
0 / 24 Fotos
'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl' (2003)
- Zoe Saldaña's first foray into film franchises was in the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' series.
© NL Beeld
1 / 24 Fotos
'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl' (2003) - Saldaña portrayed Anamaria, a young pirate who hunts for Captain Jack Sparrow (played by Johnny Depp).
© NL Beeld
2 / 24 Fotos
'Star Trek' (2009) - A few years later, Saldaña showed up in the 'Star Trek' reboot, directed by J. J. Abrams.
© NL Beeld
3 / 24 Fotos
'Star Trek' (2009) - She starred as Nyota Uhura, originally played by Nichelle Nichols - and returned to space again later that year.
© NL Beeld
4 / 24 Fotos
'Avatar' (2009) - The actress had an important role in 'Avatar,' the highest-grossing film of all time until a decade later. More on this soon!
© NL Beeld
5 / 24 Fotos
'Avatar' (2009)
- She played Neytiri, a native Na'vi alien, who falls in love with the film's hero, Jake Sully (played by Sam Worthington).
© NL Beeld
6 / 24 Fotos
'Star Trek Into Darkness' (2013) - The actress was back in space in 2013 for 'Star Trek Into Darkness,' reprising her role as Nyota Uhura.
© NL Beeld
7 / 24 Fotos
'Star Trek Into Darkness' (2013) - Saldaña begged director J. J. Abrams for more action scenes, and her wish was granted.
© NL Beeld
8 / 24 Fotos
'Guardians of the Galaxy' (2014) - What is it with Zoe Saldaña and space? She returned for another cosmic adventure when she joined the cast of 'Guardians of the Galaxy.'
© NL Beeld
9 / 24 Fotos
'Guardians of the Galaxy' (2014) - 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.
© NL Beeld
10 / 24 Fotos
'Star Trek Beyond' (2016) - Saldaña was, yet again, back in space for 'Star Trek Beyond,' directed by Justin Lin.
© NL Beeld
11 / 24 Fotos
'Star Trek Beyond' (2016) - Idris Elba joined the cast as the evil Krall. He previously starred alongside Saldaña in 2010's 'The Losers.'
© NL Beeld
12 / 24 Fotos
'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' (2017) - In 2017, Saldaña rejoined the Guardians for another action-packed adventure.
© NL Beeld
13 / 24 Fotos
'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' (2017) - Gamora and the gang must stick together while battling powerful beings, like Ego.
© NL Beeld
14 / 24 Fotos
'Avengers: Infinity War' (2018) - Saldaña was one of the many stars of the ambitious 'Avengers: Infinity War.'
© NL Beeld
15 / 24 Fotos
'Avengers: Infinity War' (2018)
- Gamora and the Guardians played a big role in the film, with the evil Thanos originating from the 'Guardians' series.
© NL Beeld
16 / 24 Fotos
'Avengers: Endgame' (2019) - She returned for 'Endgame,' which for a time overtook 'Avatar' to become the most successful film ever at the box office.
© NL Beeld
17 / 24 Fotos
'Avengers: Endgame' (2019) - Spoiler alert: Gamora was actually raised by Thanos, who plays a pivotal role in the 'Avengers' series.
© NL Beeld
18 / 24 Fotos
Breaking records
- 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).
© NL Beeld
19 / 24 Fotos
'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' 2023
- 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.
© NL Beeld
20 / 24 Fotos
The future for Saldaña - What other franchise films does Zoe Saldaña have in the pipeline?
© NL Beeld
21 / 24 Fotos
'Avatar' sequels - The actress returned as Na'vi native Neytiri in 'The Way of Water' and will reprise the role in the following sequel as well.
© NL Beeld
22 / 24 Fotos
'Star Trek 4'
- Zoe Saldaña has also been announced for the new 'Star Trek' film, which is as of yet untitled and still awaiting a release date. See also: Hollywood stars who fell for an Italian
© NL Beeld
23 / 24 Fotos
Zoe Saldaña’s journey to becoming an Oscar nominee
The star has received a Best Supporting Actress nomination
© NL Beeld
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 has scooped her first Oscar nomination, in the category of Best Supporting Actress. She has already won the Golden Globe for the same role—but can she become an Academy Award winner, too?
While we wait to find out, let’s take a look back at those franchise-favorite roles and the sensational stories behind them.
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