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You play a
young teenager giving up her virginity.
How exciting was it to take on this
role?
Zoë Saldana:
It was very exciting. I had the
opportunity to play a Caribbean woman. I
happened to fall in love with Frank E’
writing; his interpretation of the
characters and how true he was to the
Caribbean culture.
How did you
find out about working with Orlando?
Zoë Saldana:
This happened… I don’t know how far
Orlando was attached to the project. But
I know it wasn’t while he was shooting
pirates. I was about to start on the
‘Terminal’ and I read the script and I
just couldn’t put it down. It was so
well written and so interesting and
innovative. These characters were so
complex and yet they were true to their
actions and circumstances they were
going through at the time. We kind of
sat down and then I found out that
Orlando was attached and I thought that
was even better for me because… it was a
conscious decision because I knew it was
going to be a very challenging role for
me up until that point in my career. It
was comforting to me to know if I was
going to get the part I was going to
work with a familiar face.
Did the script
change during the process of making the
film?
Zoë Saldana:
I think it stayed pretty true. Obviously
in the editing I think it changed a lot.
Not a lot. When I see the movie I see
what I read in the script. We had the
artistic freedom of conveying our vision
of the characters. It only helped the
story. It never changed it or altered it
in a way… it was so well written. All we
had to do was keep intensifying who they
were.
You are moving
from the teen roles to more adult roles.
Is this a conscious effort?
Zoë Saldana:
I don’t say yes to a lot of
things. But I think the biggest one has
to do with taste. It’s about what
you’re attracted to. I gravitate more
towards characters that I’d like to see.
When I’m not working I go to the movies.
There is nothing else I do with my life.
You want to do your teeny bopper rolls
and that’s great and they give you
happiness. But I’d rather do dramatics.
What movies
have you seen?
Zoë Saldana:
I’m very commercial. I saw all the
blockbusters this summer. Today if I
wrap early I want to go see ‘Half
Nelson’. I saw the short and it was so
brilliant. To know they made it into a
feature length film, I definitely want
to see it.
What was it
about the director that made you want to
work with him?
Zoë Saldana:
We were all like ‘what is this
kid about’? Because what he wrote it
made sense. It wasn’t that it was too
dark… it just made sense. To me, I just
wanted to work with him. It was just
this curiosity to know what was in his
head.
What do you
look for in a first time director?
Zoë Saldana:
It’s about trusting who you are and not
coming in as a rookie. You know, ‘oh I’m
just a rookie. I have something to
learn’. You also have something to
teach. I’m definitely a firm believer in
giving first time directors and actors a
chance because you never know once you
leave that door open. I was given these
chances; people took risks. I believe
it’s just necessary some times. You have
to be very well acquainted with the
director. With his material (if he wrote
it).
What are you
working on next?
Zoë Saldana:
I just finished working on 'Vantage
Point' in Mexico.
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