HEADER BY YOSEF PHELAN
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT PLUS

With Avatar (2009), Avengers: Endgame (2019) and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) sitting snug as the three highest-grossing blockbusters of all time, Zoe Saldana – the only actor to star in all of the above – feels (as she bloody well should) fierce. “When you say it like that, a little fierce!” the star behind Gamora and Neytiri tells GAY TIMES. “But, I still have that kind of, ‘Is this real? Is this really happening?'”

As well as the colourful, aforementioned ass-kickers, Saldana’s roles in Star Trek (2009), The Losers (2010), Colombiana (2011) and The Adam Project (2022) have solidified her status as, arguably, the 21st century’s most prominent action heroine. (Who else, honestly?) Her new espionage thriller series Special Ops: Lioness, from Paramount Plus, carries on that legacy with Saldana stepping into the role of a CIA officer who’s tasked with befriending the daughter of a suspected terrorist.

The series is dark and moody – because, well, terrorism – but we had a lot of fun with Saldana as she discussed her “special credit” within the LGBTQ+ community, whether she’d star in the much-rumoured female version of The Expendables and how her Crossroads co-star Britney Spears inspired her to “remain grounded”.

Zoe, first of all, I wanna congratulate you for being the only actor in the top three highest grossing films of all time… You feel fierce, don’t you?

Thank you. When you say it like that, a little fierce! I feel a little fierce. But, I still have that kind of, ‘Is this real? Is this really happening?’

If I were you, it’d be the first thing I’d say when I meet people, ‘Did you know…’

How fierce you are! I haven’t started telling my kids that…

They don’t know?

Well, the era of progressive parenting is, ‘You’re smart. You’re strong. You’re noble.’ I’m like, ‘You know what? You’re fierce. You’re fire.’