Zoe Saldaña on Avatar, Her Sons Meeting the Pope, and Filming Lioness
The Run-Through with Vogue
Vogue
4.1 • 764 Ratings
🗓️ 18 December 2025
⏱️ 44 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Zoe Saldaña first stepped into the role of Avatar’s Neytiri when she was 24 years-old. Now, the 47 year-old is back for the third film of the James Cameron franchise Avatar: Fire and Ash.
"This installment of Avatar [is about] how a family can be resilient and learn to smile and love again after experiencing great loss," Saldaña told Vogue’s Deputy Editor Taylor Antrim and Global Director of Social Sam Sussman ahead of the film's release in US theatres on December 19.
"I get really lost into the world of Pandora," says Saldaña about reprising her role. “I really care for the characters that I play. I create a solid backstory for them, so I live more in that reality.”
It’s been a big year for Saldaña. On top of Avatar, she is currently Vogue Mexico’s December cover star, she won an Oscar for her role in Emilia Pérez, is currently in production for season 3 of Lioness and also met Pope Leo while in Italy with her three sons. "They were so hyper," reflects Saldaña. "They're like typical 10 and eight year olds and can't focus... And the moment comes and we're right in front of him – you can see that picture, they're gleaming."
Zoe Saldaña has the distinction for being the first actor to star in four films that grossed over $2 billion at the box office. She’s taken part in some of the largest franchises such as the Avengers, Avatar, Star Trek and the Pirates of the Caribbean. But now more than ever, Saldaña told Vogue that immersing herself in her personal life is the biggest priority.
"For a long time, I was afraid to stop," she confessed to Ramón Barreto in her cover story . "I feared that if I did, something wouldn't be right. But now, I understand that pausing is also part of the movement."
The Run-Through with Vogue is your go-to podcast where fashion meets culture. Hosted by Chloe Malle, Head of Editorial Content, Vogue U.S.; Chioma Nnadi, Head of British Vogue; and Nicole Phelps, Director of Vogue Runway, each episode features the latest fashion news and exclusive designer and celebrity interviews.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This episode of The Run Through is brought to by eBay. |
| 0:02.5 | I'm Arden Faining Andrews, Vogue's Beauty Editor at large. |
| 0:05.2 | Gifting is my love language. |
| 0:06.8 | I'm scrolling eBay all year long and building up a watch list. |
| 0:10.8 | This year I'm looking at a lot of vintage belts and designer scarves. |
| 0:14.7 | And now, rather than just putting things on the watch list, it's my time to actually check out. |
| 0:20.2 | It's about just like making my holiday gift shopping a little bit easier. It's my time to actually check out. It's about just like making my |
| 0:21.6 | holiday gift shopping a little bit easier. It's always an eBay holiday. |
| 0:38.0 | And this is the run through. I'm Chloe Mel. And I'm Charminardi. |
| 0:42.9 | And this week, two of our biggest lioness heads in the office. |
| 0:45.9 | I mean, that truly sounds like taxidermy in the office. |
| 0:51.1 | Well, here it sounds like you're talking about the English soccer team, the women's soccer team. Oh, so much. |
| 0:53.7 | Who won the Euros. Yeah. So when I hear that, |
| 0:56.7 | I'm like, what? No, this is lioness, the TV show that Taylor Antrim and Samantha Sussman are |
| 1:03.6 | obsessed with and they got to really fan girl out. Speaking to none other than Zoe Saldanya, who is |
| 1:10.0 | promoting Avatar. |
| 1:11.6 | Poor thing. I always wonder if Zoe ever thought she would be blue for this long. |
| 1:16.6 | I mean, it is like 20 years of being painted, cerulean. |
| 1:22.6 | Yeah, I've seen two out of three. I don't know if I'm going to make it to the third. I'm going to be honest. |
| 1:29.3 | You see two out of three? I'm impressed yelma. The vastness of your cinema appetite never ceases to amaze me. |
| 1:35.6 | I just love, like one of my core memories, I think I was working it out that I was three years old when I went to see Bambi and it's like literally the thing that stays in my mind and I was so traumatized. I went to see it in a with my my Swiss auntie |
| 1:50.6 | in a theater in St. Gall and Switzerland and I just I love going. It's the one time where you just |
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