One of the most prolific franchise actors ever, Zoe Saldaña has made a significant name for herself through a variety of movie and television roles. She gained recognition early in her career in roles like Center Stage and Crossroads before becoming a major star in Hollywood. After appearing in a variety of small-scale projects, the actress found major success in a number of franchises, with Saldaña’s highest-grossing movies helping to make her one of the most financially successful actors of all time.
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These franchises include Star Trek, Pirates of the Caribbean, Avatar, and Guardians of the Galaxy, a significant part of the MCU overall. Her strong work goes beyond franchises, too, with fantastic performances in many projects, including recent ones like Lioness and Emilia Pérez, a role that won Saldaña her very first Oscar. With Pixar’s Elio and Avatar: Fire and Ash releasing in 2025, Zoe Saldaña is primed for another massive year.
You are watching: Zoe Saldaña’s 10 Best Movies And TV Shows
10
Lioness (2023–Present)
Zoe Saldaña as Joe McNamara
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Lioness
Action
Crime
93
9.7/10
Release Date
July 23, 2023
Showrunner
Taylor Sheridan
Directors
Anthony Byrne, Paul Cameron
Writers
Taylor Sheridan, Jill Wagner
Cast
See All
-
Zoe Saldana
-
Nicole Kidman
Seasons
2
Story By
Taylor Sheridan, Jill Wagner
Streaming Service(s)
Paramount Plus
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Premiering on Paramount +, Lioness joins a long list of Taylor Sheridan projects for the streamer, alongside Yellowstone universe shows 1883 and 1923. Lioness focuses on the leader of undercover CIA operations that enlist female operatives known as Lionesses to help the war on terror. Tense and often thrilling, Lioness is a solid political action thriller that has a lot on its mind, something present in most of Sheridan’s work.
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Zoe Saldaña plays Joe McNamara in Lioness, the CIA senior case officer who is in charge of the program. Saldaña is no stranger to strong female characters in a number of her biggest roles, and she does a tremendous job as McNamara in Lioness, commanding every scene that she is in while also being vulnerable when needed. Saldaña is given a fine line to balance as the character is constantly in high-risk situations, and she excels.
9
Crossroads (2002)
Zoe Saldaña as Kit
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Crossroads
PG-13
Comedy
Drama
Romance
Release Date
February 15, 2002
Runtime
99 Minutes
Director
Tamra Davis
Writers
Shonda Rhimes
Cast
See All
-
Britney Spears
-
Anson Mount
-
Zoe Saldana
-
Taryn Manning
Crossroads is a comedy-drama film by director Tamra Davis that was released in 2002. Three close friends, Lucy, Kit, and Mimi, bury a box, promising to revisit it on their graduation night, but as time passes, the trio grows distant. Deciding to honor their hopes and wishes and looking to reconnect, the girls embark on a road trip to do the things they always wanted to do – together.
Budget
$10-12 Million
Studio(s)
MTV Films, Zomba Films
Distributor(s)
Paramount Pictures
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Led by pop star Britney Spears, Crossroads is often unfairly maligned or dismissed for a number of reasons, but it is actually pretty great, and showcases strong young women who are complex and well-defined. The film follows three former friends reuniting at the end of high school to go on a road trip from Georgia to Los Angeles. Over the course of the trip, these characters grow and peel back multiple layers, getting to who they really are, and the subject matter is handled with empathy and wit.
Appearing in Crossroads just a couple of years after she made her feature film debut, Zoe Saldaña gained wider recognition for her role as Kit in the film, the popular girl in the school who used to be best friends with Britney Spears’ Lucy Wagner and Taryn Manning’s Mimi. Saldaña’s chemistry with her co-stars is one of the movie’s biggest strengths, and she slowly reveals there is more to the seemingly superficial Kit, adding to the complexity of the character.
8
The Book Of Life (2014)
Zoe Saldaña as Maria Posada
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The Book of Life
PG
Musical
Fantasy
6/10
Release Date
October 17, 2014
Runtime
95 minutes
Director
Jorge R. Gutierrez
Writers
Jorge R. Gutierrez
Cast
See All
-
Diego Luna
-
Zoe Saldana
In the Mexican town of San Angel, two young men are competing for the affection of their childhood friend Maria — but Xibalba, the mythical ruler of the Land of the Forgotten, interferes in their affairs in an attempt to win a bet with his wife.
Budget
$50 million
Studio(s)
20th Century
Distributor(s)
20th Century
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Following a bullfighter who embarks on an adventure into the afterlife on the Day of the Dead to fulfill the expectations his friends and family have for him, The Book of Life is a gorgeously animated film that explores the Mexican holiday and culture, love, family, and death. It’s often poignant and always beautiful to look at, even if the film’s narrative doesn’t always hit the same high marks its animation delivers.
The character is so much more than that, though, as she is courageous, passionate, independent, and free-willed.
Zoe Saldaña has voice acted in several roles, but her best performance in animation might just be in The Book of Life, where she plays María Posada, best friend and mutual love interest to both Diego Luna’s Manolo Sánchez and Channing Tatum’s Joaquín Mondragon Jr. The character is so much more than that, though, as she is courageous, passionate, independent, and free-willed, with a lot of her personality shining through in Saldaña’s voice-acting performance. Knowing kung fu and fencing, María Posada is no damsel in distress.
7
From Scratch (2022)
Zoe Saldaña as Amy
From Scratch
Seasons
1
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Released on Netflix, From Scratch explores the relationship between an artist and a chef after they meet in Italy and eventually move to Los Angeles. A romantic drama, From Scratch is a fantastic miniseries that dives into each character’s hopes and dreams while navigating the ups and downs of their unfolding relationship. It is based on Tembi Locke’s fantastic memoir of the same name.
Zoe Saldaña doesn’t do a ton of television, appearing in a few roles here or there, but when she does have a significant role in a show, she does an incredible job. This also goes for From Scratch, where she plays Amy, an artist who travels to Italy for an art program but is torn between her dreams and her father’s expectations. Saldaña is easily the best part of From Scratch, and she gives Amy so much depth, with her emotional acting always being a highlight in her performances.
6
Center Stage (2000)
Zoe Saldaña as Eva Rodriguez
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Center Stage
PG-13
Drama
Music
Release Date
May 12, 2000
Runtime
115 minutes
Director
Nicholas Hytner
Writers
Carol Heikkinen
Producers
Laurence Mark
Cast
See All
-
Amanda Schull
Jody Sawyer
-
Zoe Saldana
Eva Rodríguez
-
Peter Gallagher
Jonathan Reeves
-
Ethan Stiefel
Cooper
Center Stage follows twelve teenagers from diverse backgrounds who enroll at the American Ballet Academy in New York. As they pursue their dreams of becoming ballet dancers, they navigate the challenges and pressures of intense training and ambition within the competitive world of dance.
Character(s)
Jody Sawyer, Eva Rodríguez, Jonathan Reeves, Cooper, Juliette, Nancy, Charlie, Jim, Anna, Joan Miller, Erik, Sergei, Jazz Class Teacher, ABA Pas de Deux Class Teacher, Mrs. Sawyer, Mr. Sawyer, Emily’s Mother, Ensemble, ABA Receptionist, Jazz Class Receptionist, Thomas, ABA Girl’s Class Teacher, Sergei’s Salsa Partner, ABA Boys’ Class Teacher, ABA Scout
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Released in 2000, Center Stage follows a group of young dancers from a variety of backgrounds after they get admitted to the American Ballet Academy in New York City. The film explores the physical, emotional, and mental toll the rigorous program places on them while also featuring some incredible dance sequences and some romance along the way.
Center Stage was actually the first film role of Zoe Saldaña’s career, as she only had one episode of Law & Order to her name before that. She plays Eva Rodriguez, a dancer at the American Ballet Academy. Eva isn’t afraid to speak her mind, often coming to the defense of herself and the other dancers. It’s obvious from the outset of her career that Saldaña was going to be a major star in Hollywood, and Center Stage perfectly demonstrates the talent she had at the very beginning.
5
Star Trek (2009)
Zoe Saldaña as Nyota Uhura
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Star Trek
PG-13
Sci-Fi
Action
Adventure
8/10
23
7.8/10
Release Date
May 8, 2009
Runtime
127 Minutes
Director
J.J. Abrams
Writers
Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Gene Roddenberry
Sequel(s)
Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Trek Beyond
Cast
See All
-
Chris Pine
-
Zoe Saldana
J.J. Abrams’ 2009 movie Star Trek rebooted the iconic sci-fi franchise in a totally new timeline. When a Romulan ship travels back in time and alters the past, the lives of James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), and the future crew of the USS Enterprise are drastically changed. In this new timeline, the Romulan Nero (Eric Bana) sets out for revenge on Spock, setting off a chain of events that reshape the entire universe.
Franchise(s)
Star Trek
Main Genre
Sci-Fi
Budget
$150 million
Studio(s)
Paramount Pictures
Distributor(s)
Paramount Pictures
Where To Stream
Paramount Plus
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Following the failure of Star Trek: Nemesis, the film side of the long-running franchise was rebooted in 2009 with Star Trek. Directed by J.J. Abrams, Star Trek featured brand-new versions of the original characters and used time travel as a narrative tool to explain the reboot, marking the official start of the Kelvin Timeline of films that were last seen in 2016’s Star Trek: Beyond. Star Trek was filled with action-packed sci-fi spectacle, and although that deterred some long-time Trekkies, it produced an awesome film that truly felt like its own thing in the franchise.
This list essentially groups Zoe Saldaña’s roles in a particular franchise into one ranking to give more variety overall.
Zoe Saldaña has had significant roles in a number of major franchises, and one of her earliest was Star Trek, where she plays the iconic Nyota Uhura, the translator and communications officer aboard the Starship Enterprise. Taking no nonsense from anyone, especially Kirk, Uhura is a strong-willed character that has significant moments throughout all three films in the Kelvin timeline. With her dating Spock, Uhura is also shown to be vulnerable and loving, and Saldaña balances both sides of her character perfectly.
4
Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl (2003)
Zoe Saldaña as Anamaria
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Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
PG-13
Action
Adventure
Fantasy
9/10
19
8.9/10
Release Date
July 9, 2003
Runtime
143 Minutes
Director
Gore Verbinski
Writers
Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Stuart Beattie, Jay Wolpert
Sequel(s)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
Cast
See All
-
Johnny Depp
-
Geoffrey Rush
Franchise(s)
Pirates of the Caribbean
Main Genre
Adventure
Budget
$140 Million
Studio(s)
Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Disney
Distributor(s)
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
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Based on a ride at Disneyland, it was unclear what to expect from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. But the film was a massive success, launching one of the most financially successful franchises of all time, and Captain Jack Sparrow arguably became the greatest character Johnny Depp has ever played. Leaning fully into being a swashbuckling pirate adventure and accompanied by one of Hans Zimmer’s best musical works, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a modern-day classic.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was actually Zoe Saldaña’s first foray into a major franchise, though it wasn’t guaranteed at the time that it would turn out to be one. She plays Anamaria in the movie, a smuggler and pirate who has had multiple run-ins with Jack Sparrow, who actually stole her boat, before she joined him to help crew the Interceptor. Saldaña is perfect as a pirate and, Anamaria is one of the fiercest members of the crew.
3
Emilia Pérez (2024)
Zoe Saldaña as Rita Mora Castro
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Emilia Perez
R
Crime
Drama
Comedy
Music
9/10
26
6.3/10
Release Date
November 13, 2024
Runtime
130 Minutes
Director
Jacques Audiard
Writers
Jacques Audiard, Thomas Bidegain, Léa Mysius
Cast
See All
-
Karla Sofía Gascón
Emilia / Manitas
-
Zoe Saldana
Rita
Emilia Perez is a drama film that follows the life of Emilia Perez, a determined and ambitious individual striving to make a name for herself in a competitive environment. The story explores her journey as she navigates the challenges and obstacles that come her way, all while uncovering the complexities of her own identity.
Main Genre
Crime
Character(s)
Emilia / Manitas, Rita, Jessi, Epifania, Gustavo Brun, Wasserman, Berlinger, Gabriel Mendoza, London City Boy, Thai nurse, Medical Staff, Thai Surgeon
Budget
26885000.0
Studio(s)
Why Not Productions, Saint Laurent, Page 114, Pathé, France 2 Cinéma, LPI Media, Pimienta Films, The Veterans
IMDb ID
tt20221436
TMDB User Rating
0
.0
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Focusing on a former drug cartel leader who transitions into being who they always were, Emilia Pérez focuses on the aftermath of that decision, and the issue of missing women within Mexico, as the titular character focuses her efforts on setting up a foundation to find as many as she can in an attempt to atone for her past. Brimming with a variety of bold stylistic choices in music, cinematography, and acting, Emilia Pérez is unique and often beautiful to look at.
The Zoe Saldaña-led “El Mal” also won Best Original Song at the Academy Awards.
Though the film was largely divisive overall, the common ground between most is the fact that Zoe Saldaña was the best part of it, turning out one of the best performances of her career. She plays Rita Mora Castro in the movie, a lawyer tasked with helping a cartel leader transition into a woman. Saldaña brings a lot of depth to the character and is the best part of each musical scene that she is in. In fact, her performance as Rita Castro earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
2
Avatar: The Way Of Water (2022)
Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri
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Avatar: The Way of Water
PG-13
Action
Adventure
Fantasy
Sci-Fi
8/10
9.3/10
Release Date
December 16, 2022
Runtime
190 Minutes
Director
James Cameron
Writers
James Cameron, Josh Friedman, Rick Jaffa, Shane Salerno, Amanda Silver
Prequel(s)
Avatar
Cast
See All
-
Sam Worthington
-
Zoe Saldana
Ten years after the events of Avatar (2009), Avatar: The Way of Water follows Jake Sully (Sam Worthington, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), and their new family as they brave the world of Pandora and the struggles they endure to protect themselves and their people. Director James Cameron used The Way of Water to explore the oceans of Pandora and set the stage for the subsequent three sequels. In addition to Worthington and Saldana, Avatar: The Way of the Water sees the return of Sigourney Weaver, this time playing a character named Kiri, and Stephen Lang’s villainous Quaritch.
Sequel(s)
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Franchise(s)
Avatar
Main Genre
Adventure
Budget
$250 Million
Studio(s)
20th Century
Distributor(s)
20th Century
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Releasing 13 years after Avatar came out, Avatar: The Way of Water was tasked with following up the highest-grossing movie of all time, and it rose to the occasion. James Cameron crafted a sprawling, ocean-based epic that features some of the greatest CGI the industry has ever seen. It’s gorgeous, tragic, earnest, and unbelievably cool. Despite many online arguments about the cultural impact of Avatar over the past decade, Avatar: The Way of Water still managed to become the third highest-grossing movie of all time.
James Cameron crafted a sprawling, ocean-based epic that features some of the greatest CGI the industry has ever seen.
In terms of the pure emotion that Zoe Saldaña is able to draw out in her performance despite being entirely motion-capture, Avatar: The Way of Water is one of the best of her career. Neytiri may not have been given as much narrative significance as she had in Avatar, but the grief and rage she showed during massive moments in the film are some that stand out the most, and Saldaña nails everything she is asked to do, giving an impressive, monumental performance. In fact, both Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water could be lumped together here.
1
Guardians Of The Galaxy (2015)
Zoe Saldaña as Gamora
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Guardians of the Galaxy
PG-13
Action
Science Fiction
Adventure
8/10
36
8.3/10
Release Date
August 1, 2014
Runtime
121 minutes
Director
James Gunn
Writers
Nicole Perlman, James Gunn
Producers
Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Nik Korda, Stan Lee, Victoria Alonso, Jeremy Latcham
Cast
See All
-
Chris Pratt
Peter Quill
-
Zoe Saldana
Gamora
Guardians of the Galaxy is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, featuring Chris Pratt as Peter Quill. Abducted from Earth as a child, Quill navigates intergalactic adventures, becoming entwined in a conflict centered on a powerful orb coveted by Ronan the Accuser.
Character(s)
Peter Quill, Gamora, Drax, Groot (voice), Rocket (voice), Ronan, Yondu Udonta, Nebula, Korath, Corpsman Dey, Nova Prime, The Collector, Meredith Quill, Kraglin / On Set Rocket, Denarian Saal, The Broker, On Set Groot, Young Quill, Grandpa, Meredith’s Mother, Meredith’s Brother, Meredith’s Best Friend, Dr. Fitzgibbon, Bereet, Horuz
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At the time, Guardians of the Galaxy was the boldest move that Marvel Studios could make as the MCU was really taking off following the success of The Avengers and the movies that came after. Releasing between Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron, Guardians of the Galaxy was the MCU’s first film to truly explore the galaxy, featuring a rag-tag group of heroes so well-defined and likable, that they would become some of Marvel Studios’ most iconic characters.
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Zoe Saldana Addresses Gamora’s MCU Future & Suggests How Marvel Should Recast Her: “I Hope They’re Not Done With Her”
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 star Zoe Saldaña confirms she won’t return as Gamora and advocates for her MCU character’s eventual recasting.
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While Guardians of the Galaxy started it all for Zoe Saldaña as Gamora, her work across the MCU as a whole is to be celebrated, especially the entirety of the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. As the adopted daughter of Thanos, Gamora had an extremely rough exterior, but each movie slowly chipped away at who she was and how big her heart actually was. Zoe Saldaña is magnificent as Gamora, particularly in Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2.
Zoe Saldana
Birthdate
June 19, 1978
Birthplace
Passaic, New Jersey, United States
Notable Projects
Avatar, Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Source: https://dinhtienhoang.edu.vn
Category: Entertainment