Zoe Saldaña is pushing back on the political questions she frequently faces at film events, saying women and people of color are often unfairly expected to address issues beyond their work.
The Oscar-winning actress has previously found herself in the middle of political and cultural debates, including criticism surrounding her 2024 film Emilia Pérez. Now, Saldana is questioning why marginalized actors are so often put on the spot to answer questions about representation and politics.
Zoe Saldaña has expressed frustration with the constant political questions she says are directed at marginalized groups.
In a recent conversation at the Locarno Film Festival, the 48-year-old actress explained that she always takes part in Q&A sessions because she wants to talk about her craft and everything that goes into her career.
However, she has found that journalists are often quick to field political questions, which she says are largely directed at women and people of color.
“One thing that’s incredibly limiting, and frustrating, is when I’m the only person of color or the only woman on stage, and that happens quite a lot for women and for people of color,” she said, per Variety.
Saldaña Cited An Example Of The ‘Political Question’ She Gets Asked
Saldaña went on to explain that she’s often eager to answer questions about her work, only to be asked something like, “What do you think we need to do to make films more inclusive?”
“I’m sorry, you don’t ask the only person that comes from the marginalized community,” Saldaña noted.
She added, “You ask the other 80 of them that are part of the gatekeepers, and you ask them if they know the answer because I think that we’re making people of color work double to be in a room.”
Zoe Saldaña Recalls Being Put On The Spot Over Emilia Pérez
Although the Colombiana star didn’t give an example of a specific panel or press tour where she was asked those political questions in comparison to her co-stars and crew, she has had to weigh in on her 2024 thriller Emilia Pérez allegedly offending Mexicans.
Saldaña won the 2025 Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film, but just minutes later, a journalist told her in the press room that the movie had been “really hurtful for us Mexicans.”
She responded, “First of all, I’m very, very sorry that many Mexicans felt offended. That was never our intention. We spoke from a place of love.”
The actress then pushed back, saying, “I don’t share your opinion. For me, the heart of this movie was not Mexico. We were making a film about friendship. We were making a film about four women.”
Zoe Saldaña Stands By Emilia Pérez Despite Mexican Criticism
The musical crime thriller follows Rita Moro Castro (Saldaña), an undervalued lawyer in Mexico City working for a firm that frequently defends corrupt clients.
Rita’s life changes dramatically when she receives a lucrative offer from Juan “Manitas” Del Monte (Karla Sofía Gascón), a terrifying Mexican cartel leader. Manitas wants to leave the violent drug trade behind, fake their own death, and undergo gender-affirming surgery to finally live authentically as a woman named Emilia Pérez.
The cast also includes Selena Gomez, who plays Manitas’ wife, Jessi, and Adriana Paz, who plays Epifanía, among others.
“These women could have been Russian, could have been Dominican, could have been Black from Detroit, could have been from Israel, could have been from Gaza,” she told the journalist. “And these women are still very universal women that are struggling every day, but trying to survive systemic oppression and trying to find the most authentic voices.”
“So I will stand by that, but I’m also always open to sit down with all of my Mexican brothers and sisters, with love and respect, [to have] a great conversation on how Emilia Pérez could have been done better. I welcome it,” she added.
Saldaña Says Trump’s 2016 Win Exposed America’s Racism
While Saldaña hasn’t shied away from explicitly stating how she votes, she did publicly endorse Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for president and vice president in the 2020 election.
She also weighed in on Donald Trump’s 2016 election, noting that it was an indicator of the dominant role race and sex play in America.
“There was a realization that I just had in this last election is that America is racist,” she told Sway Calloway on a 2017 episode of SiriusXM’s Sway in the Morning.
“Of course, there’s racism everywhere,” she continued. “I’m not saying that there isn’t. But I think that sexism is much stronger and it’s much more aggressive. And turn on the TV, just read the newspaper.”
