How Motherhood Influenced Zoe Saldaña’s Return to Her Avatar Role

Zoe Saldana at the Los Angeles premiere of ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ on Dec. 1.
Credit:

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

NEED TO KNOW

• Zoe Saldaña discusses her return to the Avatar franchise in the new installment, Fire and Ash.
• The mother of three reveals, “I don’t think I would’ve been able to play Neytiri as a mother had I not become a mother myself.”
• Her personal experiences as a parent shaped Neytiri’s grief and growth, according to the Oscar-winning actress.

The Avatar films have significantly impacted Zoe Saldaña’s life, as she reflects on how her own experiences have influenced her roles.

In Avatar: Fire and Ash, directed by James Cameron, Saldaña reprises her role as Neytiri, a Na’vi warrior and mother, alongside Sam Worthington as Jake Sully.

Saldaña, who has three sons with husband Marco Perego, shares that her motherhood has deeply informed her portrayal of Neytiri. “I don’t think I would’ve been able to play Neytiri as a mother had I not become a mother myself,” she stated.

Parenthood has transformed Saldaña’s approach to the role, as she candidly recalls Cameron’s humorous remarks about how the pair of actors became parents to enhance their performances. “He’s been saying during interviews that ‘Sam and Zoe are so dedicated to Jake and Neytiri that they even went off and got married and had kids just so they can give great performances,'” she noted.

Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri in ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’.

Courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Filmed back-to-back, The Way of Water and Fire and Ash depict challenging narratives for Saldaña’s character, who confronts the loss of her eldest son, Neteyam, in the previous film.

Saldaña describes her biggest challenge during filming as capturing Neytiri’s overwhelming grief. “The saying goes that when a mother buries a child, half of her, at least, is buried with that child,” she said. “I wanted to physicalize that because it’s a sensorial experience. The experience of loss is so intense and unimaginable.”

Zoe Saldaña and family via Instagram.

Zoe Saldana/Instagram

In Fire and Ash, Neytiri finds the strength to evolve and reconnect with her family, including her children: Lo’ak, Tuk, and the adopted Kiri and Spider. Saldaña highlights the importance of these family dynamics in her character’s journey. “Neytiri could very well be an immigrant mother, a victim of war,” she explains, drawing parallels between her character’s challenges and her own experiences as a parent.

“Cy, Bowie, and Zen are here to raise me as much as I’m there to raise them,” Saldaña remarked, reflecting on the reciprocal nature of parenthood. “They’re very proud of me. They’re also very hard on me, which is good because I’m proud of them and I’m also hard on them. But that’s what love is, right?”

Avatar: Fire and Ash, which also features Stephen Lang, Oona Chaplin, Cliff Curtis, and Kate Winslet, is currently in theaters.