Zoe Saldana on Racism in Hollywood

She’s young, gorgeous, talented and, most importantly, not afraid to speak her mind. “Avatar” star Zoe Saldana graces the cover of Nylon magazine, being the first “brown face” to do so in as much as 7 whole years and, as if to celebrate, breaks the silence on current issues in Hollywood, such as racism and how the career of black women is almost doomed from the very start.

Fans know Saldana even before “Avatar,” as she has at least one other blockbuster film under her belt: the new “Star Trek,” also starring Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto. Still, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that she was a relative unknown, especially with the general public, until she met James Cameron and got cast for the part of Neytiri. This also happened because Hollywood continues to be racist, the actress explains for the mag.

The worst part about it, though, is that it’s not even straightforward about this. Saldana says the N-word has been replaced by excessive politeness and apparent political correctness, but the message remains the same. “When they say ‘We want to go white,’ they have a very smooth way of saying it, and the recent one is the word traditional. [I’ve heard] ‘Oh, you know, you’re just not what we were looking for, your skin is a little darker.’ Compared to what?! My skin is just my skin. It’s dark if you compare it to someone who’s lighter,” Saldana explains.

Perhaps this is also why she didn’t think she’d get the part in “Avatar,” which will undoubtedly make her career. “I’m thinking he probably imagined some Amazonian girl [for Neytiri] – I had really long hair at the time – wearing really little [expletive] with like, a bow and arrow. I had no idea she was blue and nine feet tall. But for some reason, he was like, ‘You look so much like her!’” the star says of how her first meeting with Cameron, reportedly one of the most fearsome directors in showbiz, went.

It all paid off in the end, it would seem. 2010 is the year when fans will see plenty of this gorgeous and smart actress, having no less than 4 releases lined up: “The Losers,” “Takers,” “Death at a Funeral” and “Burning Palms.” In 2012, she will return as Uhura in the untitled Star Trek sequel.