Zoe Saldana Almost Turned Down ‘Star Trek’

Zoe Saldana said she almost turned down the chance to star in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot.

The actress revealed that she was hesitant to take the role because she felt she needed to recharge after filming James Cameron’s Avatar. Although Saldana is reportedly a pretty big science fiction geek, she almost walked away from the project.

The actress said she was “afraid” and “concerned” about accepting the role as Uhura in Abrams’ movie. Zoe Saldana told Latina Magazine:

“I think I was just a little beside myself because after the treat and the gift of booking Avatar and being in the middle of shooting, to be able to then do another great movie with another great filmmaker back to back – I was a little overwhelmed and I thought: ‘Maybe I should just take some time off and focus and just rest?'”

Although she was initially very hesitant about joining up for the big-budget re-imagining of the classic sci-fi series, she was eventually convinced to take the role.

The actress added:

“My team was like, ‘Zoe, are you stupid? Don’t let fear immobilize you. This is an amazing opportunity to step into the shoes of an iconic character in an iconic series and it’s in space and you’re a sci-fi buff.’ And I was like, ‘Oh my God, who am I kidding?'”

Fortunately for Zoe Saldana fans, she ultimately ended up accepting the role of Uhura. The actress will reprise her role in the upcoming sequel Star Trek Into Darkness. The film is slated to open in theaters later this year.

The Colombiana star is attached to a number of upcoming projects. She is currently in negotiations to tackle the role of Gamora in director James Gunn’s comic book adaptation Guardians of the Galaxy. The movie should arrive at some point next year.

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