When I visited the set of “Guardians Of The Galaxy,” one of the things that struck me about my conversation with Zoe Saldana was how concerned she was with Gamora's aesthetic impact. More specifically, she really wanted her to be pretty.
Seems, then, a natural place to start when discussing the finished film with the busiest woman in science-fiction. Saldana's been working for a while, but with “Avatar,” “Star Trek,” and now “Guardians,” she's cornered the market on a certain kind of character. She can be violent and deadly and powerful, but she is also always deeply empathetic, able to open that up and really project a feeling of nurturing and understanding.
She is also, I'm sure she'd be happy to hear, powerfully charismatic and attractive in person. There's something delicate about her, but it's something she seems to choose. It's obvious she can be powerful, and there are sequences in “Guardians Of The Galaxy” where she's every bit the physical threat as her co-stars Dave Bautista or Chris Pratt or Karen Gillan. But when she plays the side of Gamora who is still a bruised child, afraid and alone and taken prisoner, and I think she really loves her character and the crew who become her unlikely family.
When we talked about a pivotal scene in the movie (hinting at it rather than revealing any spoilers, so don't worry), she seemed pleased that it was the Guardians to got to be there for that moment. “I like the fact that it's the underdogs of the whole Marvel family that are holding a big, big secret, and you see it.”
I get it. The reason the film works so well is because these are characters who are really easy to fall in love with. Saldana seems to have a particular crush on her strangest co-star, Groot. “He's just the most beautiful, warm, heartfelt character I've ever gotten the chance to work with,” she said.
“Guardians Of The Galaxy” opens in theaters everywhere on Friday.