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January 2008
STAR TREK update



STAR TREK update
Zoe Saldana sheds a little light on playing 'Uhura'.
by Wilson Morales

January 29, 2008


While speaking to blackfilm.com on 'Blackout', which will be shown on BET before its release on DVD on Feb.5th, Zoe Saldana talked briefly on her upcoming roles in 'Star Trek', where she will play Uhura..

The character was orginally played by Nichelle Nichols in the original series 1966-1969 and all the star trek films up until Star Trek VI The Undicovered Country.


What attracted you to the film?

Zoe Saldana: (Director) J.J. Abrams had expressed an interest in working with me and he had liked my work. For an actor, that's all you need. That's all you want. To get the acknowledgement and respect from your peers; and so I went out and met him. He then said, 'I don't need to see you anymore' and I felt really good. I felt like I did it. I earned it.


Were you a fan of the original series?

ZS: I never saw that. I was not a fan until now and I have so much admiration for what they did, and how much the series continues to grow after 45 years and I had the honor of meeting Nichelle Nichols and working with Leonard Nimoy and it was fantastic.
How was you meeting with Nichelle Nichols?

ZS: I was able to sit down with her and she told me the whole story of how Uhura came to be and where they were going with her character, but it all fell into place the moment she walked into the door and auditioned for the part. She named the character herself and it was a special thing and she felt as an artist, she was going to make the part big.
How did you feel when you first tried on the uniform?

ZS: It was very interesting. The moment everything came together from the hair, the costume, being on the set, and then you start to feel, 'Okay, this is real. This is amazing and fun'.
Was it exciting for the cast to make the first appearance at the 'Cloverfield' premiere?

ZS: It was so much. It was really good.
In working with Leonard Nimoy, did you pick up anything from him from the old series?

ZS: Well, you can only talk to Leonard for a little while. He's so awesome. There's not a lot I can say when I'm standing next to him. He's a legend.
Between an indie film like 'Blackout' and studio films like 'Star Trek' and 'Avatar', what is it that attracts you to these types of films?

ZS: I find myself looking for roles that are strong. I'm easily turned off from roles that are soccer moms or love interest. If you really want me to say no, tell me that I will be 'the chick in the flick'. I have an issue with that. I'm not saying that I won't do those films, but I don't want to resemble half the women I know in my life, in this world, in this country. The women that I have been exposed to that are my friends, they are hard working women that have their own careers. The number one in their lives are their families. They have kids. They are working moms. I don't feel that there are enough roles that resemble the American women nowadays in Hollywood. It's almost an insult when you read scripts and you see that the guy's the hero. I'm not a feminist. Women are becoming filmmakers, directors, and writers, and writing things on how they see themselves. 'Star Trek' was no different and neither was 'Avatar'. Look at Uhura. She's a lieutenant on the Enterprise, where she's an equal with everyone. She's not just a women. She's in command just like everyone else is, with power and strength. I felt a mass appeal when I read the script and when J.J Abrams told me he wanted me to do it and the same with 'Avatar'. Jim (James Cameron) is known for writing roles for strong women about strong women. Look at 'The Terminator'. Look at 'Titanic'. Look at Jamie Lee Curtis in 'True Lies'. It says a lot of the kind of women Jim was rasied with and was around while growing up.

 

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