"I still get teary-eyed": Zoe Saldaña opens up on being cast in Avatar

In a recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Zoe Saldaña said that she still gets ''teary-eyed'' when she looks back on the moment she found out she was cast as Neytiri in James Cameron's Avatar.

She said:

''I still get teary-eyed cuz it was definitely like a very big opportunity and a very big dream come true for me. And then, I didn't need to cry 'cz my mother, my sister, and my nephew were sobbing. I'm like, 'oh my god!'''

The actress revealed in the interview that when she got the call from James Cameron, she was in her apartment, changing her nephew's diaper. During the show, Saldaña also spoke about her experience working on the film, among other things.

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What else did Zoe Saldaña say about being cast by James Cameron for Avatar?

During her interaction with Jimmy Fallon, Zoe Saldaña spoke at length about meeting with James Cameron in Los Angeles, describing the moment as an ''exciting'' one, since she was getting to meet her ''idol.'' She said,

''They lock me in an office, which was a bit scary. And they gave me the script and the script was like this (gestures with hand) thick.''

She continued:

''And they gave me three hours to read, I took 6, 'cz it was just all the directions describing the whole world of Pandora.''

She mentioned that she eventually met Cameron, who then showed her a sculpture of her character. She recalled:

"And as I'm observing the sculpture, he's sitting across from me, like, observing me. And I thought in my mind, like, 'That's not weird. That's not weird. Don't act weird.'"

Apart from the Avatar franchise, Zoe Saldaña is widely known for her performances in the iconic Guardians of the Galaxy film series, Netflix's From Scratch, the Star Trek franchise, and many more.

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A quick look at Avatar: The Way of Water plot and more details

Avatar: The Way of Water focuses on the Sully family and takes place a decade after the events depicted in the first film. Here's a brief description of the movie, as per Rotten Tomatoes:

''Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, "Avatar: The Way of Water" begins to tell the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri, and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure.''

The stunning trailer doesn't give away too many pivotal details but does offer a glimpse of the beautiful aquatic world that the film is set in. It stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, and Sigourney Weaver, among many others, in major roles.

The screenplay of the film was penned by Cameron along with Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver.

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Avatar: The Way of Water is slated to be released on December 16, 2022, in theaters.