Zoe Saldaña, known for her iconic roles in science fiction blockbusters, shared her concerns about being typecast in the genre.

However, she credits James Cameron, director of Avatarfor helping her land one of those crucial roles.

Saldaña reflected on her journey at a BFI London Film Festival event and highlighted her work in Avatar, Star TrekAnd Guardians of the Galaxy.

She revealed how JJ Abrams the Avatar set, which led to her casting Star Trek.

“I knew he was casting for Star Trek,” Saldaña began.

“He and Jim were talking, and they come over to sit down, and Jim lets him hold his little camera that he built. And I remember talking to JJ, and he said, ‘I’m going to call you, I would really like to have a conversation with you.’ And then he walks away. And Jim comes by and says, “I just booked your next job.”

Despite initial fears of typecasting, Saldaña was drawn to Guardians of the Galaxy’s antihero character, Gamora.

“I went into Guardians with a lot of fear of being typecast… But when I read that script, there was just something about the antihero, the a-hole who saves the day, reluctantly, that I had never seen before. “

She also talked about how Steven Spielberg restored her faith in the film industry after a difficult experience on the set of Pirates of the Caribbean.

“The crew, the cast are super great 99 percent of the time… But if the studio, the producers and the director… if they don’t lead the kindness, the awareness and the attention, then that big production can be a very become a bad experience.”

Working with Spielberg on The terminal has revived her passion. “After I did Pirates, he restored my faith,” she noted.

The actress emotionally discussed her recent Cannes win for Emilia Pérez and expressed her gratitude for the validation. “I didn’t even know how much I needed it so much… Sometimes you feel like you’re throwing spaghetti at the wall hoping something will stick. That visibility makes me understand how invisible I’ve felt to so many. ” years.”

The BFI London Film Festival, presentation Emilia Perezruns from October 9 to 20.