Pirates of the Caribbean: Zoe Saldaña on why she never returned for the sequels

Each time I revisit the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, I find myself momentarily surprised when Zoe Saldaña enters the screen. “Oh right, I forgot she was in this,” I say, before wondering why she never returned for any of the sequels. Saldaña played Anamaria, a pirate and smuggler recruited by Jack Sparrow. She also had a little unfinished business with Jack, as he had “borrowed” her ship and sunk it.

While speaking with BBC Radio 1 (before the SAG-AFTRA strike began), Zoe Saldaña explained why she never returned for any of the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels. “I really had a not-so-good experience because of just the poor management at that time, and Jerry Bruckheimer knows this, we spoke about it eventually,” Saldaña said. “I think he read somewhere where I had expressed my discomfort and disappointment, and years later he apologized, which felt really quite honourable actually, I have to say.“

Can’t fault her for that. While Zoe Saldaña may have left the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise behind, she more than made up for it with leading roles in some massive franchises, including Avatar, Star Trek, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The future of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is at something of a standstill at the moment, but Disney Studios Motion Picture Production president Sean Bailey recently said that the studio hopes to get another film going soon. “We think we have a really good, exciting story that honors the films that have come before but also has something new to say,” Bailey said. As for whether Johnny Depp could return as Jack Sparrow, nothing has been decided.

Zoe Saldaña can currently be seen starring in Special Ops: Lioness, a thriller series created by Taylor Sheridan for Paramount+. The series follows the life of Joe (Saldaña) while she attempts to balance her personal and professional life as the tip of the CIA’s spear in the war on terror. The Lioness Program, overseen by Kaitlyn Meade (Nicole Kidman) and Donald Westfield (Michael Kelly), enlists an aggressive Marine Raider named Cruz (Laysala De Oliveira) to operate undercover alongside Joe among the power brokers of State terrorism in the CIA’s efforts to thwart the next 9/11.