zoe saldana
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One of film’s finest (with some questionable past decisions) has finally received her long overdue acclaim. Zoe Saldaña has won an Oscar Award for her work in Emilia Perez.
As per The Guardian, the actor had one of the biggest nights of her professional career. On Sunday (March 2), the film industry gathered at the 2024 Academy Awards to celebrate the best performances of the previous year. The category for “Best Supporting Actress” was stacked with top tier talent including Felicity Jones (The Brutalist), Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown), Ariana Grande (Wicked) and Isabella Rossellini (Conclave). Zoe Saldaña took home the award for her stellar work as Rita Mora Castro, a struggling lawyer who takes a Mexican cartel kingpin as a new client.
It was clear to everyone in attendance at the Dolby Theatre and viewers online that Zoe was taken by surprise with her win. “I am floored by this honor,” she explained. She first thanked her mother and remaining family but made sure to highlight her immigrant background. “I am a proud child of immigrant parents, with dreams and dignity and hardworking hands,” she said while trying to hold back her tears. “And I am the first American of Dominican origin to accept an Academy Award, and I know I will not be the last.”
She then closed out her speech with a reference to her late grandmother. “I hold the fact that I’m getting an award to a role where I got to sing and speak in Spanish — my grandmother, if she were here, she would be so delighted. This for my grandmother, Argentina Cesse. Thank you so much. Muchas gracias.”
While Emilia Perez has been met with general critical acclaim, the film has faced some ongoing criticism due to Karla Sofía Gascón, the film’s protagonist. The actor’s old social media posts are where she made some very derogatory remarks about Islam, the murder of George Floyd and more.
Additionally, Mexican media was very critical of the film for how it represented the country. As spotted on Variety, after her Oscar win she addressed the criticism at a press junket. “First of all, I’m very, very sorry that many Mexicans felt offended. That was never our intention. We spoke from a place of love,” she explained in the interview room. “I don’t share your opinion. For me, the heart of this movie was not Mexico. We were making a film about friendship. We were making a film about four women.”
You can see Zoe Saldaña’s acceptance speech below.
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Source: Marvel / Marvel
Actress Zoe Saldaña might be done with her character of Gamora in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but she’s hoping that fans of Guardians of the Galaxy can keep the series alive as it holds a special place in her heart.
According to the Playlist, Zoe Saldaña touched on the subject in an upcoming interview on their The Discourse podcast and said she’d hope to see Guardians of the Galaxy return to the big screen in the future even if she’s not a part of the team. Though the return of Chris Pratt’s Starlord character was teased at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the future of the franchise remains unknown as both Zoe Saldaña and Dave Bautista (Drax the Destroyer) have both said they’re done with the franchise.
Still, the Colombiana actress would love to see another installment of GOTG at some point in the future.
Per the Playlist:
“I mean, so far, I think that she is [gone for good] for me, but I don’t think Gamora has gone for good,” she explained.
The actress clearly has great affection for the series, too, and hopes that it’ll return one day and she’ll be first in line to buy a ticket.
“I would think it would be a huge loss for Marvel if they didn’t find a way to bring back ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy,’” she said. “It’s just such a fan-favorite group of misfits, you know? And then at the helm, they had a voice like James Gunn’s writing—which is just so marvelous for and very specific for this genre. And it’s so great for this genre as well. So, I would be the first one in the first row to sort of celebrate when the Guardians of the Galaxy come back.”
As Marvel fans we’d much rather see Captain America (Chris Evans) and/or Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) return to the big screen, but that’s just us. No shots to Guardians of the Galaxy.
Truth be told there is a slight chance that Marvel does bring back the original Guardians of the Galaxy team at some point as their much hyped Avengers: Secret Wars is set to be a blockbuster event that brings in superheroes from past films from various Marvel franchises. Unfortunately, Secret Wars isn’t set to release until 2028, so we have quite some time before we find out whether Zoe Saldaña will have her wish come true.
What do y’all think? Would y’all like to see another Guardians of the Galaxy film with a new team, or are y’all good with what James Gunn gave y’all with his trilogy? Let us know in the comments section below.
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