American actress Zoe Saldaña has starred in several movies, with a few forgotten roles. These days, the actress is mostly known for her roles in Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers movies. Saldaña is also known Neytiri in James Cameron’s movies.
Although she made her screen debut in television, Zoe Saldaña has had more movie credits. However, she leads the cast of the Taylor Sheridan-created Paramount+ spy thriller Special Ops: Lioness. With Saldaña stating she won’t reprise the role of Gamora in the MCU, here’s a look at other early Zoe Saldaña movies and her forgotten roles.
Center Stage (2000)
Nicholas Hytner’s 2000 teen drama Center Stage was Zoe Saldaña’s film debut. Long before her professional acting career, Saldaña developed a passion for dancing while living in the Dominican Republic with her father’s family. Saldaña attended a dance academy to study various forms of dance. However, although ballet was her favorite, she later quit, believing she didn’t have the feet and wanted to pursue an acting career. With Saldaña’s training background as a ballet dancer, she was cast as one of the Center Stage ensemble cast as Eva Rodríguez. Although not generally popular among movie audiences, Center Stage mostly enjoyed good reception because of its dance sequences.
Crossroads (2002)
Zoe Saldaña was one of the three female leads in the 2002 teen road comedy-drama Crossroads. Cast as Kit, Saldaña co-starred with Britney Spears (who played Lucy Wagner) and Taryn Manning (Mimi). Shonda Rhimes wrote Crossroads screenplay, which centers around three childhood friends who, although they drifted apart, are reunited to open their buried “wish box.” The plot follows their cross-country road trip, the encounters they face, and the bonds they share. Crossroads was a commercial success, grossing $61.1 million on a $10–12 million production budget.
Drumline (2002)
Zoe Saldaña starred in another popular movie in 2002. She played the female lead, Laila, in the coming-of-age teen comedy-drama Drumline. In Drumline, Saldaña played Nick Cannon’s character’s love interest. Drumline was a critical and commercial success, grossing $57.6 million on a $20 million budget. With a natural love for dancing, Saldaña was more than in her comfort zone in the role. With the movie’s popularity, Drumline was arguably Zoe Saldaña’s international breakthrough role.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
True Pirates of the Caribbean audiences would remember Zoe Saldaña from the franchise’s first installment, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). Saldaña played Anamaria, a minor supporting character in the film. The character is mostly remembered for slapping Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) for stealing her ship in the past. Playing Anamaria is one of Zoe Saldaña’s roles in movies forgotten by film audiences as she didn’t reprise it in any other installment. Saldaña stated being disrespected as her reason for never working with the film crew again. With Box Office earnings of $654.3 million, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl quickly became Zoe Saldaña’s highest-grossing movie.
Guess Who (2005)
In the 2005 romantic comedy Guess Who, Zoe Saldaña played the girlfriend to Ashton Kutcher’s character. Cast as Theresa Jones, Saldaña plays an African-American lady who brings her white boyfriend (Kutcher) to meet her African-American parents. The late comedian and actor Bernie Mac played Saldaña’s father, Percy Jones. Although reviews were fairly average, Guess Who was commercially successful. Produced on a $35 million budget, Guess Who raked in $103.1 million at the Box Office.
After Sex (2007)
After Sex (2007) was one of those movies that flew under the radar in 2007. As such, it is one of Zoe Saldaña’s roles in movies forgotten by audiences. Saldaña joined the ensemble cast, with the movie’s plot following the lives of eight couples. Saldaña is cast as Kat, a college student who begins a casual sexual relationship with her roommate Nikki (Mila Kunis). Zoe Saldaña’s character was a closeted lesbian with whom Kunis’ character explores her sexuality while insisting she isn’t a lesbian.
Vantage Point (2008)
Zoe Saldaña played a minor role in Pete Travis’ 2008 political action thriller Vantage Point. Although she had a small screen time, her performance as a news reporter, Angie Jones, was memorable. At the start of the film, she’s GNN producer Rex Brooks’ (Sigourney Weaver) eyes at the Plaza Mayor in Salamanca, Spain.
When she witnesses the assassination attempt on U.S. President Henry Ashton (William Hurt), a traumatized Angie Jones tries to give a situational report before being killed by an exploding bomb. It was Zoe Saldaña’s last movie in 2008, with 2009 being the year she was cast as Nyota Uhura in Star Trek (2009) and Neytiri in Avatar (2009). If you recognized Zoe Saldaña from any of these movies and forgotten roles, also read 5 forgotten Fast Franchise faces fans want back.
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