The ascension of Zoe Saldana

Even more evidence is that she shares the billing with Chris Rock and Martin Lawrence in this weekend’s Death at a Funeral and gets top-billing in next weekend’s The Losers. The 31-year-old has become the new “It” girl of colour in Hollywood and can be found on the covers this month’s issues of Essence, Glamour and Nylon.

There’s a sequel to Star Trek set to start filming soon, Avatar is the highest-grossing movie ever, a sequel, spinoff something will come of it and she’s starring in the heist film Takers with Hayden Christensen, Idris Elba, T.I. and others this summer. Not too bad for the girl with the beautiful face and accents all through her name that seemed prime for a breakout role.

But she’s a little deeper than her beauty and ability to recite lines; she was recently honoured at the inaugural St Jude Estrellas Por La Vida (Stars for Life) Gala on April 6. Saldana has been a supporter of St Jude since 2005 and has made it her charity of choice at events nationwide. Black Women in Hollywood recently spotlighted her and others for helping to transform the images of Black women in television and film. However, race seems to be an issue she likes to stay away from. Being of a mixed racial background, she’s been able to embrace a universal cultural appeal and believes that the ethnic label in Hollywood is “the new N-word”.

She also speaks pretty freely in terms of sex and nudity, claiming in Essence to “love it, love it, love it and can’t get enough of it” in reference to sex. Of nudity, “I don’t believe the body is something to hide.” She believes that American culture is becoming more violent by not educating and making people aware of the beauty of sexuality. Check out Zoe in Death at a Funeral, The Losers (April 23) and Takers (August 20).