Zoe Saldaña Is A Wonderful Actor – But She Won An Oscar For The Wrong Performance
The people who have lived under the false assumption that Zoe Saldaña isn't an amazing actor can consider themselves educated, thanks to her freshly-won Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Oscar for her turn as attorney Rita Mora Castro in "Emilia Perez." It's a very good role, too. However, it's far from her best one.
Saldaña's work is great through and through, but there's one extremely challenging, complex, and ongoing role that overshadows anything she has a chance to bring to the table in "Emilia Perez." This sci-fi performance is so overlooked that it's left even Saldaña herself frustrated, and even though you don't see her face in it, you've almost certainly seen her play the role and quite possibly been extremely impressed.
The role in question is none other than her role as Neytiri in James Cameron's 2009 effects blockbuster "Avatar" and its 2022 sequel "Avatar: The Way of Water." The nuanced motion capture and voice performance of the blue-skinned Na'vi alien has earned her plenty of recognition in the genre award circuit, but the Oscars and other traditional major awards haven't really noticed ... which seems doubly unfair now that she won an Academy Award for a considerably less impressive turn.
Saldaña knows better than most that sci-fi isn't an award season darling
Zoe Saldaña has plenty of experience about amazing genre roles. From her role as Nyota Uhura in the Kelvin timeline "Star Trek" movies to her long-standing turn as Gamora in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, she has impressed sci-fi fans left and right — and as a central character of Cameron's "Avatar" movies, she's far from done impressing on this front.
Saldaña has been vocal about her frustrations about the lack of mainstream recognition for her sci-fi work. In an interview with the Independent, she commented about her experiences about pouring every ounce of her talent into "Avatar: The Way of Water," and how it left her feeling unnoticed:
"Old habits die hard, and when you have old establishments, it's really hard to bring forward change. And I understand that, so I'm not bitter about it, but it is quite deflating when you give 120 per cent of yourself into something. I mean, not winning is OK, not being nominated is OK, but when you're overlooked and then minimized and completely disregarded ...
Fortunately, Saldaña now has an Academy Award to show for her sheer talent as an actor. Perhaps, one day she'll win another one — this time from the genre where she has traditionally shined the most. There are plenty of "Avatar" sequels on the way, after all, so she has plenty of opportunities to make the Academy watch what she can do as Neytiri.