Zoe Saldaña has been lucky to be a part of some of the biggest film franchises of all time. With major roles in Avatar, the MCU, and Star Trek, the actress seems to have a knack for choosing incredibly popular projects. Some fans may forget that she also had a role in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl which was also a big hit for Disney. Saldaña is a blockbuster pro at this point, but apparently filming her Pirates of the Caribbean movie was incredibly stressful, with a memorably difficult production.
In a recent interview with Buzzfeed, The Special Ops: Lioness star talked about some of the most iconic roles of her career, from Gamora to Neytiri. When asked about filming Pirates of the Caribbean, she revealed that the production wasn’t always smooth sailing. The movie ended up being great, and a fan favorite for many, but the process in getting there was very stressful. Saldaña detailed:
What a great movie. It really was fun and entertaining, and very well shot, very well performed. It was all around, such a diverse cast, as well. All ages, all walks of life, but a hard production. It was so big! It was too big a machine for me and it was too out of control. So what I see, that transpired onscreen, I'm very proud of. How difficult it was to get there, I don't ever want to go back.
As an actress known for her participation in massive movies, it’s surprising that the Disney film stood out as one of the biggest. The movie predates a lot of the blockbusters Saldaña starred in later in her career, and was one of the actress's first movie roles. A project of that scale was probably very intimidating, especially with all of the big set pieces and money involved. She is wonderful in the film, so the scale didn’t end up being a deterrent for her performance, and likely acted as a great first step for her later franchise flicks.
Since her run as Gamora has come to an end, Saldaña has shifted her focus to projects outside of the franchise-sphere. She stars in Tayler Sheridan’s latest TV venture, Special Ops: Lioness where she plays a CIA agent leading a team of undercover agents to fight the War on Terror. She also starred in an Italian film called The Absence of Eden, which premiered overseas in June. Even with other endeavors, she hasn’t left her blockbuster days behind quite yet, as she is still slated to lead three more Avatar movies through 2031.
Disney is still planning on a Pirates of the Caribbean 6, but unfortunately, Saldana likely won’t reprise her memorable role as "Anamaria." As she says here, she really never wants to go back. She has previously spoken out about her experience on the film, saying the scale ended up contributing towards Pirates being a negative experience for the From Scratch star. She has credited her youth as a factor. She still thinks the movie turned out “great,” so even if her future with the franchise is grim, we still have a quality film to look back on.
You can catch Zoe Saldaña in Special Ops: Lioness, which is streaming with a Paramount+ subscription. Fans of the actress’s "Anamaria" character can also revisit Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, which is available now for Disney+ subscribers.
