The Zoe Saldaña tribute night at the Arlington started later than expected, and for a very good and worthy reason. On the red carpet, after the de rigueur photo ops and sound-bite supplying with professional reporters, Saldaña was extra open and generous in speaking with eager young journalists in line. The full-ish house could wait. That’s the way she rolls.
Saldaña made the quick drive to “work” from her Geroge Washington Smith–designed Montecito home, where she lives with her family. She is the famed and athletic star of action and sci-fi cinema who has come in from the cold and into the light of art film/musical glory in Emilia Pérez, earning an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
As laid out in the life/art summarizing night, her path to high-profile roles in the Avatar and Avenger franchises started out with dreams of dancing, in ballet and beyond. Her first film role, in Center Stage, she told moderator Scott Feinberg (Hollywood Reporter), “was a kind of kismet — a way to say goodbye to my old life and hello to the new path.” She also explained that “I don’t think I could have done Avatar without ballet. It gave me awareness of my body. Ballet was a tool for action and sci-fi movies.”