Zoe Saldaña calls out the double standard actors of color face in Hollywood
TheGrio...
The Oscar winner says women and people of color are often asked political questions their white male peers avoid.
Zoe Saldaña says women and actors of color are too often expected to answer political questions that their white male colleagues are not asked.
The Oscar winner, who became the highest-grossing actor earlier this year and won her first Academy Award in 2025, addressed the imbalance during a public conversation on Monday, Aug. 10, at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland, where she received a Special Pardo honoring her career. Her comments put political questions in Hollywood and who is expected to answer them under scrutiny.
Variety reported that Saldaña described it as “incredibly limiting” when she is the only woman or person of color onstage, waits to discuss her craft and instead gets asked a political question.
“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. And I wait for my turn to be asked a question about my craft, and I’m asked the political question,” shared Saldaña.
“What do you think we need to do to make films more inclusive?” was an example question she shared to illustrate her point.
She gave questions about making films more inclusive as an example. Saldaña argued that journalists should also direct those questions to the industry’s gatekeepers instead of placing the responsibility on the only person from a marginalized community.
She said the pattern makes people of color “work double to be in a room.”
A recent example came during Saldaña’s 2025 awards run for “Emilia Pérez.” The film faced criticism over its depiction of Mexico, while offensive old social media posts from co-star Karla Sofía Gascón became another major controversy during awards season.
After winning best supporting actress at the Oscars, Saldaña was asked backstage by a Mexican journalist about viewers who found the film hurtful. She apologized to Mexicans who felt offended while saying that was never the filmmakers’ intention and defending the story they set out to tell.
The Locarno appearance comes during a landmark stretch in Saldaña’s career. Her work across the “Avatar,” Marvel and “Star Trek” franchises helped make her the highest-grossing actor in worldwide box-office history in January.