Zoe Saldaña opens up about career defining moments at BFI Film Festival

Zoe Saldaña, known for her iconic roles in sci-fi blockbusters, shared her concerns about being typecast in the genre. 

However, she credits James Cameron, director of Avatar, for helping her land one of those pivotal roles.

Saldaña reflected on her journey at a BFI London Film Festival event, highlighting her work in Avatar, Star Trek, and Guardians of the Galaxy. 

She revealed how JJ Abrams visited the Avatar set, leading to her casting in Star Trek.

"I knew he was casting for Star Trek," Saldaña began. 

"He and Jim were talking, and they come to set, and Jim lets him hold his little camera that he built. And I remember talking to JJ, and he's like, 'I'm going to call you, I really want to have a conversation with you.' And then he walks away. And Jim comes over and goes, 'I just booked your next job.'"

Despite initial fears of typecasting, Saldaña was drawn to Guardians of the Galaxy's anti-hero character, Gamora. 

"I went into Guardians with a lot of fear of being typecast... But reading that script, there was just something about the anti-hero, the a-hole that saves the day, reluctantly, that I had never seen before."

She also shared how Steven Spielberg restored her faith in the film industry after a difficult experience on the Pirates of the Caribbean set. 

"The crew, the cast, 99 percent of the time, are super marvelous... But if the studio, the producers and the director... if they're not leading the kindness and awareness and consideration, then that big production can become a really bad experience."

Working with Spielberg on The Terminal revitalised her passion. "After I had done Pirates, he restored my faith," she noted.

The actress emotionally discussed her recent Cannes win for Emilia Pérez, expressing gratitude for the validation. "I didn't even know how I needed it so much... Sometimes you feel like you're just throwing spaghetti on the wall in the hope that something sticks. That visibility let me understand how invisible I had been feeling for so many years."

The BFI London Film Festival, showcasing Emilia Pérez, runs from October 9-20.