“Guardians of the Galaxy” star Zoe Saldana has blasted out at her peers in Hollywood for looking down on Marvel films.
The actor, who plays Gamora in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), says she is disappointed with the negative attitude industry insiders have towards superhero movies.
“I’ve been in rooms with people in this industry, who are great at what they do, but they’re absolutely elitist and they look down at movies like the Marvel films or actors like myself. They think we’re selling out in some way.
“Every time they speak I feel so disappointed in them, because whenever you see pictures of people in this industry who donate their time to children in need, it’s these actors that live in the world that you feel is selling out,” Saldana told Net-A-Porter.
The 39-year-old actor believes the responsibility of playing a superhero is often overlooked.
“That actor takes time out of their life and sits down with that five-year-old and says, ‘I see you, I hear you, and you matter,’. Those elitists should be a little more cognizant about what playing a superhero means to a young child. Because you’re not just dissing me, you’re dissing what that child considers important in their world,” she said.
Saldana said she is proud of her decision to join superhero movies as they inspire younger generations.
“I feel so proud to be living in space, to be playing green and blue aliens, to inspire, primarily, the younger generations. I remember what it was like to be young and to feel completely excluded out of the mainstream conversation of life because I was just little and unimportant and ‘other’ ,” she said.
Saldana will next be seen playing Gamora in the upcoming “Avengers: Infinity War”.
