Zoe Saldaña on being overlooked for CGI “Avatar” performances: 'It is quite deflating'

Zoe Saldaña lamented the lack of recognition for CGI performances at awards shows, weighing in on being overlooked for her critically-acclaimed portrayal of Pandora hybrid Neytiri in James Cameron's Avatar movies.

Speaking with The Independent about her Golden Globe-nominated and Academy Award contender Emilia Pérez, the actress agreed that awards bodies often overlook actors' performances when it comes to CGI.

Related: 2025 Golden Globes nominations revealed: See the full list of nominees, from Emilia Pérez domination to Ariana Grande in Wicked

"Old habits die hard, and when you have old establishments, it’s really hard to bring forward change," said Saldaña. "And I understand that, so I’m not bitter about it, but it is quite deflating when you give 120 percent of yourself into something."

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Added the star, "I mean, not winning is OK, not being nominated is OK, but when you’re overlooked and then minimized and completely disregarded…" Of the detractors who argue her Avatar performance could be attributed to the technicians alone, Saldaña said, “I know the difference between that and what we did."

Still, Saldaña isn't losing sleep over the matter. "At some point, you have to ask yourself: why is it that I do what I do? Is it so others can give me approval? Or is it because I don’t want to do anything else?” added the actress.

The Marvel star earned her first Golden Globe nomination for her supporting role as high-powered lawyer Rita in Emilia Pérez, director Jacques Audiard's musical thriller about a crime boss who transitions into living as a woman. She's poised to earn her first Oscar nomination for the role, too, considered a contender in the supporting actress category.

Related: Emilia Pérez stars Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, and Selena Gomez, Best Actor and Actress predictions, and more in EW's The Awardist digital magazine

“I can’t tell you what this moment means to me," she told the outlet, calling it the culmination of “25 years of hard work and putting one foot in front of the other to have people finally go, ‘Oh, you’ve been here this whole time.’"

Saldaña, who is set to reprise her role in the upcoming third, fourth, and fifth Avatar sequels, can also be currently seen in Paramount+'s spy thriller series Lioness.

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