Meet Zoe Saldana, newest action star
The last time many remember Zoe Saldana on screen was when she was tall and blue and an animated computer graphic. But, even as the character Neytiri in "Avatar," Saldana was red hot.
According to an "Avatar" fan site, Neytiri "coaches archery… jumps off cliffs and rides the pterodactyl-like Banshees with ease."
In her new movie, "Columbiana," Saldana plays another action role—live this time. As Cataleya, Saldana portrays a trained assassin out to avenge the death of her parents when she was a young girl growing up in Bogota, Colombia.
In a recent interview, she was quoted as saying, "The violence Cataleya confronts and her pain are inconceivable to me. So I really had to work to comprehend them and feel them."
She described her character as someone in "permanent mourning" and distant from any kind of social interaction because thoughts of revenge has eaten away at her.
Directed by Olivier Megaton from a script by multi-awarded French director Luc Besson, "Columbiana" showcases Saldana as an emerging action star. It's got one of the best hand-to-hand combat between a woman and a man, as well as the actress's breathtaking stunts.
The scenes were the result of a rigorous two-month training Saldana undertook to make the action scenes perfect, and allow her to do 98% of her fight scenes.
Megaton liked that his lead star was enthusiastic and a perfectionist. He described her as "beautiful, intelligent, got heart, real humanity and enormous will when faced with any obstacle and… bursting with ideas."
Also in the cast is Michael Vartan as Danny, Cataleya's boyfriend who doesn't know about her double-life.
It remains to be seen whether Saldana decides to bring her career full throttle to the action genre. But, one thing is clear: as a rogue and vigilante heroine, Saldana rocks!
"Colombiana" hits the theaters starting Aug. 26.
