Actress Zoe Saldana is the latest cover girl for the April/May issue of Siempre Mujer. Inside the Avatar star discusses her views on life, happiness and more.
Excerpt:
About her roots: “I’m just Zoe. Not a little bit Dominican, not a little bit Puerto Rican, none of that silliness…I am what you want me to be if that’s what it takes for you to overcome your insecurities. As a Latina, I think we should be very proud of our heritage. We tend to look for European roots and reject the indigenous and the African, and that is disgusting. Being Latin is a mix of everything. I want my people to not be as insecure, and to adore what we are because it’s beautiful.”
On her masculine side: “I have too much of one! People have sometimes told my grandmother, ‘Your niece has a bit of lesbianism in her.’ It’s that my sisters and I spent all our time amongst men. We were very popular with them. Our way of thinking is very masculine.”
On her feminine side: “If you want to punish me, send me to get a manicure or pedicure, or dress me in a skirt or shorts, and I would die. But if you dress me in jeans and a button down blouse I feel very sexy, feminine and powerful. It has to do with my personality. That’s why I think I’m very attracted to men who are masculine but in tune with their feminine side. I’ve been with my partner for 10 years!”
Her view on life: “Life is much more and less than what we imagine. Life for me is very simple. When I wake up in my bed I always think, ‘If I’m fortunate enough to die in a bed, I’m not going to take with me material things, or money, or jewelry, or fame – nothing except the profound moments I experienced.”
Where her outlook on life comes from: “At 31 years old, 100% of my 150% self esteem comes from my upbringing. The other 50% comes from my life experiences…The only thing I’ve asked of life is to be happy. I know that if I’m rich or poor, I’m going to be happy. Because I know what it’s like to be poor and happy when I had nothing, but I still felt like the richest woman in Babylon.”
On her definition of happiness: “I like to work. I don’t have any preconceived notions on fame. Everything else is the price I pay for being happy with my work. Everything I’ve done has been for the love of art, and I try not to focus on the things that can distract me.”
Find this issue on newsstands April 6!
