Zoe Saldana “grateful” for franchise ties despite past comments

Zoe Saldana has appeared in some of the biggest franchises in pop culture history: the modern Star Trek trilogy, the MCU via Guardians of the Galaxy and James Cameron’s blockbuster Avatar series. And she’s grateful for being part of all of them, despite previous comments to the contrary.

At the premiere of the sequel Avatar: The Way of Water, Zoe Saldana said, “I would love to set the record straight…I feel grateful and like the luckiest girl in this town knowing that I was invited to join films with special directors in a special cast. And they resonated with people so much so that we get a chance to come back again and come back another time. If anything, I’ve reaped all the benefits of that, I’ve gained friends. I still have mentors that I call and I lean into.” This was in reference to previously making them claim that she felt “stuck” being tied to such major franchises.

Further clarifying, Saldana cited the pressures of juggling a professional and home life, in addition to saying she, interestingly, has a special connection to outer space. “I think that once I started my family, it just became really hard for me to sustain both worlds and also then cater to this curiosity of playing other different characters or playing earthlings you know, but I’m happy in space. I’ve always been happy in space. I relate to people that love space as well.”

While Zoe Saldana will be concluding her turn as Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy when the trilogy wraps in May–although she won’t miss the extensive makeup–the actress is still tied to both Star Trek and Avatar for the foreseeable future. Star Trek 4 isn’t officially dead just yet, while James Cameron has big plans for the Avatar franchise.

By association, Zoe Saldana is one of the highest-grossing actresses ever, appearing in three of the five biggest box office behemoths in history: #1’s Avatar, #2’s Avengers: Endgame and #5’s Avengers: Infinity War.

Avatar: The Way of Water hits theaters on December 16th, while Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 comes out on May 5th.