Zoë Saldaña called out the pressure placed on women and people of color to answer political questions at film festivals. The actress believes marginalized groups often face greater pressure to address issues beyond their craft.
Zoë Saldaña called for equal respect and focus on craft for people and women of color
Zoë Saldaña expressed her frustration with political questions during a conversation at the Locarno Film Festival. The Avatar actress shared that whenever she participates in Q&A sessions to discuss her work, the conversation quickly shifts to political issues. She said, “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.”
According to Variety, she said she is always eager to discuss her work but often ends up facing questions 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. 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.”
Though she did not name a specific panel, she questioned why such questions are directed at marginalized performers, according to The Blast.
She also recalled an incident after winning an Oscar in 2025, when a journalist told her that Emilia Pérez had been “really hurtful for us Mexicans.” The MCU star said she wants conversations to focus on her work rather than placing the responsibility of addressing political issues solely on women and people of color. Her comments also highlighted the broader challenges women and people of color face in the entertainment industry.
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