Thanks to her dance background, Saldana landed the role of the passionate Eva as her feature film debut (though a dance double was used), and she’d go on to be Center Stage‘s biggest breakout star and she says it’s one of her “favorite” movies.
“I turned 21 when we shot that movie, and Princess Diana passed away, and that was a big moment on the set,” she reflected in an Elle interview. “It was the summer of 1999, and I remember looking at New York City, and going, ‘This has never looked more beautiful’ because I was showing up at Lincoln Center every day for work.”
Since then, Saldana, 41, has become one of Hollywood’s most bankable leading ladies, landing major roles in the Star Trek and Guardians of the Galaxy/Avengers franchises, as well as starred in Avatar, one of the highest grossing films of all-time. She’s set to return for the upcoming sequels.
Saldana married artist Marco Perego Saldaña in 2013, and they welcomed twin boys, Cy and Bowie, in November 2014. Their third son, Zen, was born in 2017.
