Zoe Saldana “collapsed” under the weight of her own enormous fame

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Yesterday, CB and I debated whether we should cover Zoe Saldana’s appearance at the Teen Choice Awards. CB’s take was basically that Zoe isn’t really important, in that people don’t give a crap about her in general. My take? The people who do care enough about her only care enough to dislike her. Personally, I tried to like Zoe, but after that horribly annoying Calvin Klein commercial (which she “wrote” herself), I find her somewhat insufferable.

Anyway, CB and I ended up ignoring Zoe yesterday, so now there’s even more to love (or hate) today. Zoe covers the September issue of Latina Magazine to promote her new film, Colombiana. The trailer is below – it’s like The Professional meets La Femme Nikita, with a heavy dose of been there, done that. Don’t get me wrong – it’s certainly interesting to see Zoe try to take on this kind of stunt-heavy lead role in her own action film, but this doesn’t look very good:

See? It doesn’t look bad per se, it just looks repetitive, derivative and kind of tedious. As for Zoe’s Latina interview, she doesn’t come across too badly here:

Stunning Afro-Latina actress Zoe Saldana graces the September 2011 cover of Latina magazine’s fall style issue, available on newsstands August 16th. The 33-year-old Dominican and Puerto Rican star of this month’s Colombiana opens up to about how she nearly had an emotional collapse after catapulting to superstardom with Avatar, the highest-grossing movie of all time, and what helped her stay grounded.

On dealing with her newfound fame: “The year after Avatar was just emotionally overwhelming. I was traveling all over the world, waking up in different time zones. Your body gets exhausted, and by the end of the year I just collapsed.”

On coming close to a total breakdown: “I was in Paris training for Colombiana, sitting in my hotel room, and I couldn’t stop crying. I couldn’t stay awake. I must have slept for an entire month. It took me the rest of the year, even as I was working and shooting Colombiana, to pick myself up. Thank God my family was there.”

On the post-Avatar effect: “I just want the best filmmakers in the world to tell me, ‘You’re good, kid, you’re legit.’ The recognition will never get old, and I’ll never get accustomed to it. I don’t ever want to, because that will mean I’m taking it for granted. That’s why I work, not for the luxuries or the awards.”

On the simple joys of life: “I just stay at home and do absolutely nothing. When I was younger, that would have made me feel like such a failure. Now that I’m older, I know what it means to shut down. I don’t shower if I don’t want to. I don’t answer e-mails. It’s a healthy way of being selfish. You know you’re old when gardening, the Food Network and voice notes from your nieces and nephews blow your mind.”

On her small circle of friends: “If you surround yourself with good people, if you’re having a bad day – which everyone does – they will protect you, and it will never reach any kind of surface. But if you surround yourself with people who don’t really love you and care for you, they’ll be the first ones to expose you. That’s dangerous.”

On the key to her 12-year relationship with actor Keith Britton: “I think the only reason we’ve made it this long is because we don’t listen to anybody but ourselves. We’ve still managed to sustain a relationship in a world where half of the people we know are divorcing or going through problems. It’s like that song we both love by Frank Sinatra – we did it our way!”

[From Latina]

Her description of the “simple joys” sound more like depression, right? I like to be low-key and sit around watching the Food Network too, but I still answer emails and take showers. As for how difficult it is for Zoe to be so famous – er… she knows that most people can’t pick her out of lineup, right?

Here are some photos of Zoe at Sunday’s Teen Choice Awards. Her dress was Lanvin – it’s pretty but kind of meh, much like Zoe. She looks a bit like Jada Pinkett Smith, right? Which is why it’s extra weird that Michael Vartan is Zoe’s love interest in Colombiana, considering he plays Jada’s love interest in HawthoRNe.

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Photos courtesy of Fame.

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68 Responses to “Zoe Saldana “collapsed” under the weight of her own enormous fame”

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  1. Hanna says:

    The movie looks like shit

  2. really says:

    Still like her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  3. brin says:

    She seemed to be everywhere for a short while and then I didn’t hear that much about her (guess that was her “shut down” time). She seems open and real in her interview.

  4. Annaloo says:

    I love her, I don’t think she has depression. I hate feeling like a prisoner to my email, it’s like having constant essay homework…

  5. silken_floss says:

    Love her. She can do no wrong in my eyes.

  6. Kaboom says:

    Not very surprising, the writers did “Taken” which was quite the clichéd turd, Liam Neeson notwithstanding.

  7. merski says:

    Can’t tell the difference between her and Thandie Newton. In my mind they’re the same person…

  8. Courtney says:

    Oh please she was nver a huge star and never will be she gets most of her press for her looks not her talent

  9. tapioca says:

    Loved her in Crossroads (for shame!), and she’s comes across pretty well in interviews.

    However, I would be surprised if more than 10% of those who watched Avatar could have picked her out of a line-up afterwards, and she’s done nothing but crud since. I have a soft spot for The Losers but she was so ridiculously skinny in that I couldn’t suspend my disbelief enough to accept her character as a kick-ass martial artist. Same with the thing with Paul Walker & Idris Elba – and I suspect this new movie too. Eat something or do a romantic comedy!

  10. Whatamess! says:

    When is she getting that boob job?

  11. WTF says:

    loved her in the Losers …she can give Angie some competition in the kicking ass catergory

  12. Nanz says:

    Funny you mentioned JPS. I always think of her when I see pics of ZS. To me, they look exactly alike.

  13. GQ says:

    I like her and it is interesting interview

  14. LOVE ANGELINA says:

    I have liked Zoe since Center Stage. Great ballet movie. I don’t think Zoe is unimportant as much she doesn’t have anything for anyone to bitch about.

  15. EMA says:

    You rock CB, but got to disagree with your thoughts on Zoe, I think she’s awesome! She’s beautiful,talented and apparently humble. Impossible to hate on on that.Looking forward to watching colombiana.

  16. Turtle Dove says:

    “I was nine when my parents argued in front of me.”

    wtf. This movie looks budget and not even like it would make a good TV show.

  17. BeckyR says:

    WHAT fame?

  18. blacksred says:

    I read your site but have never commented until reading this post. I am a little offended that in your opening you thought about “ignoring” Zoe for her work in her new film. There are not that many working actors of color to begin with in Hollywood and the last thing that is needed is for them to be ignored. Especially when Lindsay Lohan can get tons of posts as well as all the other NON minority hollywood starlets. I am NOT a fan of Zoe’s but I do try to support actors of color and wished that others weren’t so dismissive.

  19. pinns says:

    Turtle dove, she says “were *killed* in front of me” not “argued”.

    It doesn’t look that bad, it just doesn’t look that different to all the other revenge movies out there, apart from she is female. She looks fine doing the stunts, just not doing the acting.

  20. madpoe says:

    I think she’s very pretty.
    The flix looks meh, seen this formula before. What I’ll never understand is how do they expect me to buy this stick figure kickin’ a grown man’s ass so that he doesn’t get back up. Really???

  21. Sara says:

    Perhaps she needed to eat more, like maybe a hamburger with that salad

  22. Liz says:

    I <3 Center Stage. I randomly came across it one night, years ago. It’s so cheesy and wonderful. I also can’t help but enjoy how out of place it looks amongst all of the other movies in my collection.

    Point being, soft spot, meet Zoe Saldana.

  23. Eva_baby says:

    Maybe people don’t talk a lot about her, not because they hate her, but because she doesn’t give them anything to gossiply dish about. She isn’t out flashing her cooch, or going through boyfriends like tissues, or DUI’ing, or all the other random stuff that tends to put celebrities on the tabloids other than say their acting.

    The problem is we’ve gotten so used to the Kardashians and Snookis of the world… people who get ‘famous’ for doing nothing but getting punched in bars or having someone pee on them…that it is somehow unheard of for there just to be a working actress who is noticed for just the work she does.

    I like her and she seems to get mad love on other sites. Also, in her interview she sounds like somebody who had been working really hard, travelling non-stop for months and was just tired. The interview hardly sounds like someone languishing under their fame.

  24. lisa says:

    Never understood why people assume that someone small can’t cause damage. Or that every tall person can play basketball or that every Big person is strong.

    Let a 5 year old punch you in the stomach.. that shit will hurt. We expect every action star to be all big and buff. People that are actually spies and such look like regular people; which is why they can do that job. She is suppose to be just a regular woman. Anyway not sure if I’ll see this one or not. It will be interesting to see how it does at the BO.

  25. hmmm says:

    @Turtle Dove, I think it says “I was nine when my parents were killed in front of me” 😉
    Although, I kind of wish your version was the correct one, it made me laugh so hard that that was the writer’s version of drama that I had to watch the preview

  26. I agree with you: blacksred, that was a very GOOD point.

  27. BellaLuna says:

    really? we are going to go there with the actors of color thing? God Im so over that. She doesnt do anything for me as an actress and the movie looks crap

  28. Kelly says:

    I think Star Trek was the only thing I’ve ever seen her in. Actually, I tried to watch that movie 3 TIMES and every time, I fell asleep! I never sleep in movies. So I guess I haven’t really seen her in it, LOL.

    I think she’s really beautiful, though – albeit incredibly skinny. I don’t think she looks like Thandie Newton except for their skintone. But I LOVE Thandie – I think she’s so elegant. And I loved her in The Chronicles of Riddick, which I’ve seen an embarrassing number of times.

  29. Heather says:

    @merski I can never tell them apart either.

  30. Scarlet Vixen says:

    I am also a huge “Center Stage” fan! (I can’t believe that as a 32yr old woman I’m admitting to that on the internet.) But Saldana’s character is my least favorite–she kinda bugs. But not enough for me to have an opinion on her, I guess.

    “Let a 5 year old punch you in the stomach.. that shit will hurt.”
    Yes, it does hurt–I have a 3 1/2hr old boy that I swear has the hardest skull on the planet. 🙂 However, I would suspect that a powerful, muscled man of 250 lbs punching you in the stomach would hurt WAY worse. Force=mass x acceleration (or something like that). The more weight and power behind an object is going to make it more damaging. I’m sure her character has speed and agility on her side, but I can’t imagine she could effectively contend with well-trained, larger and stronger guys. But, it is just a movie after all. 🙂

  31. koala says:

    who??

  32. alibeebee says:

    i dont like her she ruined uhura in star trek uhura was cool feisty and beautiful zoe’s was bitchy and fug sorry

  33. Ahem says:

    Maybe if she ate and represented her actual background some more, I’d like her.

    she didn’t have a nervous breakdown bc of avatar..-_- it’s because they don’t eat.

  34. Jover says:

    Sorry, she doesn’t do much for me – and the interview comes across as too much hollywood speak, bland and banal, today’s actrors/actresses are just not compelling – i’d love for even one to say their hobby is big game hunting, egyptology, spelunking,etc. but referencing the food network and appearing on endless red carpets, tedious, I think i’ll go read hemingway.

  35. Iggles says:

    I expected a bunch of Zoe-hate here, but I was pleasantly surprise to see a good mix of positive comments.

    I like her! She seems open and real!

    I LOVE “Center Stage”! I also LOVE “Drumline” and I saw “Star Trek” four times!

    Not all because of Zoe, but it’s so funny she stars in a lot of movies in my favorite genres – Teen movies, rom coms ,and Sci Fi! (The ultimate trifecta of the three is “Starship Troopers” so it’s no wonder that it’s one of my fave movies of all time! Zoe isn’t in that one, btw).

    I like her as an actress and I wish her the best! Can’t wait to see more of Uhura and Spock in “Star Trek 4”!!

    @ BellaLuna:
    really? we are going to go there with the actors of color thing? God Im so over that.

    As a person of color I wish I could be over it but I don’t have that privilege. I think more POC and other minorities (GLBT folks, peoples with disabilities, etc) should be represented in film and TV.

    There are few WOC who are leading ladies (or even main romantic interests) so I’m especially proud of Zoe, trail blazing.

    It’s ok not to like her or her movies, but the lack of actors of colors is a real issue.

  36. Micah says:

    That Calvin Klein commercial was insufferable.

    UGHHH!

    She went from bearable to grating since that commercial.

    She and Thandie seem interchangeable.

  37. rtms says:

    Saw the commercial for her movie, it’s basically ‘Domino for black people’. She is not a great actress or interesting.

  38. LeeLoo says:

    I love Zoe! She’s awesome! You guys need more stories on her. Although I will agree there is a high resemblence between her and Thandie Newton.
    Come on, if we have to put up with those articles with fug Paz de la Huerta, I think Zoe deserves equal billing.

  39. Truthful says:

    I like her and I think she is pretty..

    minds her own business and does not seek out pap attention..

    she has a life and is trying to make it work for her and hers.

  40. carrie says:

    i have nothing against her : i only saw her in 4 movies (she’s beautiful and natural ) and COLOMBIA is an average action movie but my mum who saw AVATAR 12 times(unless) has no idea about who is she

  41. lilred says:

    More like she collapsed from the weight of her own giant head.

  42. whatevers says:

    She’s ok in my book. A pretty decent actress and she is doing her thing. She’s doing us NY Latina’s proud, but I don’t buy her as an action star. She looks malnourished and like she suffers from anemia which would make a person automatically weaker lol but thats just me.

    She looks like she’s related to Thandie Newton, only Thandie is prettier.

    I have Dominican friends who don’t like her too much cuz she supposedly denied her “Latin-ness” by correcting a reporter by stating that she is Black. I got what she meant though. Many people from Latin America are a serious mix of Native Indian, African and European to different degrees, so she just meant Afro-Latina to the dumb reporter from the Dominican Times mag and those haters that didn’t know the difference between race and ethnicity. lol

  43. JaneWonderfalls says:

    I like Zoe and I think she is beautiful, strong and confident but she would look a lot better to me with a little meat on her bones, 10 lbs she will still be thin. Just look more healthier cause if anybody seen her interview with Sam Worthington on youtube her legs look like chicken arms, and I don’t agree with any one of you when you say she looks like Thandie Newton, gosh not all actresses of color look alike. Plus I have to say I think she is more attractive than Thandie Newton, I never really been a fan of hers, Thandie is an overrated actress to me anyway. Team Zoe!

  44. wtf? says:

    @blacksred I agree with you too. I’m not even mad about it, it’s just so disappointing.

  45. Lovelife says:

    Love Zoe! I think she is better looking that JPS though I do see some similarities. I love Center Stage and The Losers. I think she’s a pretty decent actress and gorgeous. I love her style normally, though this dress from Teen Choice I thought was ok, but I’m not a fan of gold anything. I’m always excited when I see she has a movie coming up… even something overdone like Columbiana. But, I love every movie that has a girl kicking ass.. it’s just not done enough compared to male action movies imo.

  46. Tamiko says:

    With all of the irrelevant, talentless, worthless “celebrities” that this site has such an affection for, I find it slightly amusing that one of the few celebrities who actually works consistently, is serious about keeping her private life private and isn’t a drunken, falling out mess is worthy of being “ignored.” Seriously?

    And I agree with with blacksred (but of course no one on this site could be guilty of that, right. We’re all soooo post-racial *eyeroll*)

  47. TG says:

    @Kaboom – I have to disagree with you about the movie “Taken” I saw it on TV a few months ago and I actually liked it. I liked that he won’t let anything get in his way of getting his daughter back and he will kill anybody and his shots are all kill shots, whereas many action style movies like this they might beat someone up but don’t kill the bad guy or when the guns start flying no one actually gets hit.

    And I love Zoe. I think she is gorgeous and I liked her in that movie with Asthon Kutcher. I wasn’t sure if she meant that she was overwhelmed with her celebrity or just exhaustion from all the work. I tend to not feel for celebrities either way because working nonstop promoting something isn’t anything compared to the commutes many of us make each day just to put bread on the table and supporting a family on a single income or even a limited income is real to me and something to stress over. I still like her and will watch her in anything, even though I don’t feel for her “exhaustion”.

  48. rose80 says:

    I agree with blacksred, you nailed it.

    “Saw the commercial for her movie, it’s basically ‘Domino for black people’.”
    @ RTMS,

    I think your statement should read, “Saw the commercial for her movie, it’s basically ‘Domino STARING a black woman’. Just my opinion, but I don’t think this movie is catering to a specific demographic other than action movie goers. And @ bella luna…comments like the one RTMS made is reason why people are going to go there with the actors of color thing.

  49. Kim says:

    After 1 movies world press junket she collapsed? Sounds like this isnt the business for her.

  50. Iggles says:

    Kim – She’s done press junkets for several other successful movies. “Star Trek” comes to mind.

    However, “Avatar” IS the high grossing movie of all time so I could see how work associated with that project was massive.

    rose80 & blacksred – WORD! 😀

  51. Turtle Dove says:

    Thanks y’all. I was like wtf.. are they going for being ironic cause I ain’t biting.

    That’s what I’m here for… to provide the comedy.

  52. M.K. says:

    With all of the irrelevant, talentless, worthless “celebrities” that this site has such an affection for, I find it slightly amusing that one of the few celebrities who actually works consistently, is serious about keeping her private life private and isn’t a drunken, falling out mess is worthy of being “ignored.” Seriously?

    This!!

  53. fizXgirl314 says:

    hahahah turtle dove’s version really made me crack up too. That would have been funny as a parody.

  54. buckley says:

    Shouldn’t the N in Zaldana have a “tilde” over the N?

  55. Jaye E says:

    Well I guess we should set the whole issue of the underrepresentation of people of color in Hollywood since bellaluna is “over it”. :::rolling my eyes…HARD:::

  56. Ashley says:

    I hate the way her face looks in that magazine shot. Come to think of it, I’ve never been a fan of her looks. I swear, the only two settings for her eyes are ‘dead’ or ‘bitch’.

  57. VeneficA Delirium says:

    @Tamiko: I’ve never seen this woman’s acting, but I find myself in agreement with you.

    She actually does seem serious about the value of her privacy and doesn’t seem like an obnoxious party girl. I think that’s good enough for me, but I guess that’s boring to some people, but women like Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton (though rightfully so) get hate around here too. I don’t know.

  58. hatxumomo says:

    HA! With a great big HA!!I remember awhile back when Star Trek and Avatar came out and everyone was going on about how incredible she was and all up on her tits. And now hardly anyone pays attention to her! I knew this was gonna happen. She just dosent have the ‘star’ quality around her.

  59. lu says:

    @blacksred maybe you need to go to a “supporting actors of colour” website rather than CeleBITCHY. The thought of ignoring a story about Zoe had nothing to do with her skin colour or profession, but to do with the level of gossip interest, as this website is all about.

  60. LittleDeadGirl says:

    I actually rather like her as an actress and the fact I don’t know anything or too much about her personal life says more good things about her then bad. Honestly, only thing that bugs me is she seems far too skinny to do these action movies where I’m supposed to buy her as as a “killah”. Still between this and the other movie with female action star at least it’s nice to see a woman in a main role. I like the other trailer better only because it doesn’t show the main chick needing to have a romantic interest. Can’t we just see a badass bitch who doesn’t need to be cuddled?

  61. Jaye E says:

    #61…you don’t need to be so dismissive of blacksred’s feelings regarding the post just because you don’t agree with it or are “over the actors of color” thing like bellaluna is. This blog is as good as any to bring up issues like that.

  62. dj says:

    I love Z.S. and I think she is a pretty good actress with action chops. I vote her to be the next Laura Croft: Tomb Raider!

  63. Iggles says:

    dj – Oooh, that would be interesting! Although, the haterade/backlash she’d get for being cast would probably be annoying. Still I could see her doing good in the role.

    They’re not masterpieces or anything, I really enjoy Angelina Jolie in the L.C. movies she made. And I love that her real life dad was her dad in the movies!

  64. Stacia says:

    Oh boo-hoo. After reading this, I’m annoyed with her. She could walk away from “fame” anytime she wants to, but she seems to complain about the rigors of her profession. I’d bet many people wouls like to be in her shoes- traveling, making money, ect.

  65. Elizabeth says:

    re: the shiny dress she’s wearing

    As a woman who has gone through life with small boobs, I can advise her of this : don’t wear strapless dresses that squeeze your chest like that – it only makes them look smaller and flatter. No strapless! Not for you!

  66. Jo 'Mama' Besser says:

    Agreed with blacksred, et al.

    As long as it’s okay with you guys. Please?

  67. Sher says:

    Elizabeth: Maybe Zoe likes her small boobs. Thats because your insecure with her breast size, doesn’t mean she is., Remember thats because society tells you big boobs are better that doesn’t mean every one agree. Some people find a big ass attractive and some people think its gross. Why do people think its ok to bash women bodies.

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