Zoe Saldaña has become Hollywood’s go-to actress in big-budget movies in the fantasy genre. She has appeared in Pirates of the Caribbean, Avatar, Star Trek, and the MCU. Before her Oscar-nominated role as Rita Mora Castro in Emilia Pérez, Saldaña played the badass female superhero, Gamora, in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy.
Saldaña embodied a true intergalactic warrior in her role as Gamora and executed some finely choreographed action set pieces in the films. Interestingly, she revealed one legendary action hero as her reference for the role. She revealed that her stunt works in GOTG reflected Jet Li’s works.
Zoe Saldaña explains why she preferred Jet Li’s stunts over other action legends like Jackie Chan
Zoe Saldaña is very particular about her stunt scenes in her action films, especially the Guardians of the Galaxy films. Before Gamora, Saldaña felt that she was being typecast in a sci-fi lead role. She wanted to get out of that badly and ended up doubling down on her action choreography in GOTG.
During an interview with Collider, Saldaña shared that she drew inspiration from action star Jet Li. She shared that she didn’t want Gamora to look like Jackie Chan in the film. While Chan and Li are both great martial artists and actors, Chan was trained in karate while Li’s training was more in wushu.
Saldaña felt that Jet Li was more graceful than Chan due to their different martial arts. She shared that it was her opinion that as a woman, she needed that kind of grace in her action sequences. She shared with Collider:
But instead of looking like Jackie Chan, why don’t we give her an air of Jet Li because it’s this form of wushu, which is his form of training. Jet Li is much more graceful than karate, which is what Jackie Chan has trained in. And I find that with women, you have to maintain some kind of grace, at least that’s my personal opinion.
The Special Ops: Lioness actress also shared that it was very important for her to have a great stunt team to work in action movies. She shared that she needed “good and intelligent and talented stunt people” who “carry a personality” so that her wishes as an actor were respected.
However, one scary stunt in Guardians of the Galaxy almost made the actress think that she was in grave danger. She shared with the website As the Bunny Hops that she had to jump from a height of three stories while strapped on wires. But no one had apparently told her that it was a free fall. She was frightened and it reflected on the take, which she had to do all over again.
Zoe Saldaña might be done with GOTG but she is ready for another superhero role
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 might potentially be the final appearance of Zoe Saldaña as Gamora. In April 2023, before the release of her film, she told The Hollywood Reporter that it was the end of the road for Gamora. She shared, “I don’t think this is the end for the Guardians. It is the end for me, for Gamora.”
However, it doesn’t mean that she is done with the superhero genre. During an interview with ComicBook.com, Saldaña was asked whether she was interested in collaborating with her GOTG director James Gunn in the DCU. She responded that she was definitely interested in a role, provided that she didn’t have to spend hours in the makeup room like Gamora.
She revealed that her three sons were obsessed with comic books, and she would love to play superhero characters that her sons could relish for the next 10 to 15 years. Saldaña shared with ComicBook.com:
Yes, I do, I do. I love the superhero universe of any sort. I have sons that are obsessed with comic books right now, and superheroes, so for me to be a part of projects that they will get to watch for the next 10, 15 years of their whole lives, it’s a dream for me.
She also shared that she was open to various scenarios in the DCU—whether it never happens, happens under a different director, or happens again with James Gunn.
All three films in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy are now available for streaming on Disney+.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
