Zoe Saldana is keeping busy onscreen and off. In addition to starring in multiple blockbuster franchises and other films, the actress is finding time to produce. According to Variety, Zoe, Mariel, and Cisely Saldana’s Cinestar Productions is working with Authentic Entertainment to develop an American adaptation of “Mothers,” an unscripted Israel series.
The show centers around “six prominent mothers, each with a different lifestyle and approach to motherhood, in a transformative social experiment,” Variety writes.
“Mothers” will be introduced to U.S. buyers this week.
Authentic Entertainment CEO and co-founder Lauren Lexton described the show as “part documentary, part social experiment, and part juicy soap opera.” “You just can’t stop watching,” she said.
Saldana has been open about the struggles of being a mother in the industry. A 2016 Allure feature on the actress revealed that “the studio behind one of her films initially turned down her request that it cover the extra child care she required in order to put in 15-hour days on set. Perks that male stars typically get — private-jet service and tricked-out trailers — were one thing; babysitting, apparently, was another,” the mag rightly pointed out.
“The tone changed in the negotiations,” Saldana recalled. “I was starting to feel that I was…difficult,” she explained. But she rejected the notion that babysitting should be “considered a perk,” and refused to feel like she was “having a diva fit”: “No. This is a necessity that you must cover for me in order for me to go and perform my job.” Her request was granted, but the experience left a major impression on her. She made it clear that she remains deeply unimpressed by the “fact that there are women working in these studios — and they’re the ones [enforcing] these man-made rules,” and asked, “When are we going to learn to stick together?’
Saldana has roles in a number of high-profile franchises: “Avatar,” “Star Trek,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” and “The Avengers.” She’ll appear as her “Guardians” character, Gamora, in the newest installment of the latter, “Avengers: Infinity War.” “Gone Missing,” a documentary she’s producing, is currently filming. The project is directed by Leslie Ann Owen (“Being Bobby Brown”) and explores the huge number of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls in Canada.
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” is in theaters now.
