The five movies that shaped Zoe Saldaña’s love for acting: “Films like that”
If there were ever to be an anointing of the ‘Queen of Sci-fi’, then there might be a few options; Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson spring to mind. But really, once you throw action into the mix as well, then there’s only one winner of that crown, and it’s Zoe Saldaña, one of the coolest actors of the last 20 years.
Not only does she rule the worlds of sci-fi and fantasy, appearing in four of the seven highest-grossing films of all time, she also kicks ass (or bottom if you’re British) better than most around too, as her work in the thrilling Tyler Sheridan show Special Ops: Lioness shows only too well. She’s not someone you want to see appear behind you in a tactical vest, that’s for sure.
Saldaña is definitely busy at the moment, not only is she strapping on the motion capture gear for the third slice of James Cameron alien action in the third Avatar film, Fire and Ash, she’s also filming numbers four and five too, which are likely to release, apparently in 2029 and 2031, which are years that even sound like something out of sci-fi.
Apart from being a pointy-eared giant blue warrior, Saldaña is also likely to stay in the realms of space to once again portray Uhuru in an as-yet-untitled sequel to 2016’s Star Trek Beyond. But it’s not just all-action with Saldaña, just last year she appeared in the acclaimed musical crime drama Emilia Perez, the movie that landed her a ‘Best Supporting Actress’ Oscar and reminded people that this was a trained dancer and performer, not just someone handy with a gun or a spaceship.
Asked by Deadline about the movies that ‘lit her fuse’ and made her have to tell stories on screen, Saldaña showed that she was very much a child of the 1980s, with an eclectic selection encompassing live music, fantasy adventure, erotic horror and more.
First off, she referenced Quentin Tarantino’s favourite Tony Scott 1983 horror The Hunger, Scott’s debut feature that starred David Bowie and Susan Sarandon. She followed it up with Prince’s ambitious Purple Rain, which was a huge hit for the singer and won an Oscar for ‘Best Original Score’.
She also selected the classic kids adventure The Goonies, starring Josh Brolin, who would go on to play Saldaña’s stepfather Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and then a damn-near absolute 180 for a leftfield pick, the 1985 Swedish drama My Life as a Dog, which was a surprise hit in the United States and was nominated for two Oscars.
Lastly, she went with a little-known Mexican film called Pedro Navaja, the story of a street-hustler in Mexico City from 1984. Saldaña spoke about her picks, explaining, “(It was) films like that. I always grew up watching stories that just felt like everyday life, in such an extraordinary way. For me, a treat was going to see films like action movies or science fiction. But on a daily basis, it was films about everyday life in all kinds of languages.”
Five movies that inspired Zoe Saldaña:
- The Hunger (Tony Scott, 1983)
- Purple Rain (Albert Magnoli, 1984)
- The Goonies (Richard Donner, 1985)
- My Life as a Dog (Lasse Hallstrom, 1985)
- Pedro Navaja (Alfonso Rojas Priego, 1984)
