Zoe Saldaña Says She’s “Only Happy Making Art”

One would think that, at this stage in her career, Zoe Saldaña would be eager to slow down, lay back, and enjoy the post-Oscars ride. But, five minutes in the presence of the actor — who took home the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2025 and was recently dubbed the highest grossing actor in history — and you are immediately aware that she knows only one mode: accelerate. “Lady, I've been wanting to slow down for the past 15 years,” she tells me with a laugh in a recent interview. “I do, honestly. But also, when I slow down, I don't think I'm giving my life my full self because I'm only happy making art.”

A self-proclaimed running “theme” in her life, creativity encompasses more than acting for Saldaña, covering everything from dancing and producing to cooking and entertaining. “I'm Latina. We're always entertaining,” she says. “I've embraced being dysregulated. So I need noise, but noise in the form of like laughter and conversation and art.”

This proclivity is likely what led Saldaña to her partnership with Grey Goose, a brand with which she started working in 2025. Just in time for summer, the actor is starring in the campaign for the new Berry Rouge flavored vodka, which is a melange of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. “We're about to go into berry season and that's a wonderful treat in my house with my family,” Saldaña says. “So getting to work around cocktails that are just in time for summer, is just always exciting.” (The campaign shows the actor flex her culinary muscles as she crafts berry fruit tarts with renowned French pastry chef Dominique Ansel.)

Ahead, Saldaña reveals everything from what goes into her go-to summer cocktail to how motherhood and an Oscar have influenced her career decisions. We’re taking notes.

What's in this specific cocktail you’re sipping on now?

It has berries and a little bit of citrus. It has club soda, which I love. I love when you're able to sort of like just crisp up your drink. And it has rosé — all the elements that I like. And it’s not sweet at all. I think the fruit level of the berries is what you need. What I like about this is that this is also very clean.

When you slow down and take a beat, what does that look like for you?

I am so about family and life and community and it's just about reading and traveling. I have to always curate art in my life. So I eat art, I listen to art, I watch art. I go see art by other artists, whether that's on stage or in a gallery in a museum. So I am living. I'm living always.

Do you like to entertain on your off time?

Yes. I'm Latina. We're always entertaining. I've embraced being dysregulated. So I need noise, and but noise in the form of like laughter and conversation and art. I see art as a theme in my life. I need art.

Speaking of art, let’s talk about the art that you make personally as an actor. What moment in your career felt like the biggest turning point before the Oscars?

I've had major turning points. I think in my life, if we're talking about my career, I would say booking Center Stage, booking Avatar, booking Emilia Pérez, making the move from New York to Los Angeles. There have been so many pivotal moments. Producing for the very first time, directing for the very first time. Those have all been turning points in my life that have continued to shift me or allow me [to be on] the road that I'm meant to be on.

Was it hard to make the shift from dancer to actor?

I mean, I don't think it was hard. It’s bittersweet because you're leaving something that meant so much to you for so long and you don't know how to do anything else and you have to embark on a new path. It's scary because it's the unknown. Also, it's bittersweet because I couldn't do it anymore and I loved to do it. But the sweetness of jumping into [acting] and allowing myself to be surprised again and discovering myself all over again in this new environment was also very sweet and very amazing.

The risk truly paid off. You’ve been a part of some of the most prolific franchises in the industry — Marvel, Star Trek, Avatar. Do you find that these experiences changed or shaped your identity as an actor?

I mean, as a professional pursuing my career making a living in what I want to do and what I like to do, absolutely. They catapulted me into this sort of global notoriety and that enabled me to make better choices for my career or continue making choices for my career. It educates me, it raises me, it guides me.

Has motherhood changed the kind of roles you take on or how you sort of approach your career choices?

For sure. Motherhood just grounds you. It allowed me to believe in the power of my own convictions in trusting my instincts, because they will never steer me wrong. I do continue having an appeal for genres that appeal to the younger audiences. I've never underestimated the capacity of a child to understand human behavior, human interactions, human relations. So I like being in films that children can see.

How’s life post-Oscars? I feel like that's such a monumental moment that most of us will never fully comprehend. How has that changed the types of roles you're looking for now?

I'm not putting that pressure on myself. I feel like if every choice that I made led me [to win an Oscar] last year, then why would I change it up? I've always been a great believer in trusting my heart. I'm a Gemini. I can't do anything but what I want to do. Because, otherwise, you only get a shell of me. I kind of punch things in if I'm not fully passionate about something or someone.

So I can only live life by what I want and what I want to do and what appeals to me, what excites me, and that seems to pay off because it gives me happiness. And then when I'm happy, I give 150% of who I am. So I'm going to trust that and try to always silence out the noise. But sometimes I can't do that on my own. I rely heavily on my community. I'm married to an artist so we tend to be really opinionated on each other's choices and that helps us a lot and guides us, informs us.

So I don't want to change anything. [Winning an Oscar], to be honest, alleviated a pressure that I guess I wasn't aware that I was putting on myself and it makes me sympathize with so many artists that put that pressure on themselves. At the end of the day, art can only come from love. You can't make art out of destruction, out of self-sabotage. You really have to love yourself and embrace yourself and accept yourself and celebrate your own art in order for your art to succeed.