Fans are puzzled after Zoe Saldaña referred to her famous Avatar character Neytiri as ‘racist’.
The renowned actor, known for her role as the fierce Na’vi warrior since the release of James Cameron’s 2009 film, commented on this while discussing the forthcoming sequel Avatar: Fire and Ash.
In a conversation with Cinemablend, Saldaña delved into Neytiri’s emotional journey and chose some strong words to convey her point.
“Let’s face it Neytiri’s is a racist and she just… and she loses sight because of this blind fury that she has,” she mentioned.
Saldaña further elaborated that Neytiri’s anger significantly impacts her relationship with Jake Sully, portrayed by Sam Worthington, a human who became a Na’vi.
She added: “She loses sight that the person that she loves the most and respects the most in her life is her husband, and he is human, he’s a sky-person and I think it takes a lot of courage for Jake to be honest with her and to force her – even knowing that she is broken – that he knows that she needs to face this ’cause he sees in the direction that she’s heading and I think it’s much more familiar to him where Neytiri’s heading than for Neytiri herself.
“So it was powerful and I think that we really needed to go there but it – I can’t, I can’t tell you enough how great it was to also take her off every evening and just put her on the side and just go home without her weight on me.”
The online community quickly responded when a clip of the interview began making rounds on TikTok.
“Guys. It’s a movie about blue space aliens,” one person humorously remarked.
Another commented: “This makes me not wanna watch the movie because this is wild.”
Others, who were deeply involved in the story, were upset by Saldaña’s choice of the word ‘racist’.
“She was not tho….. that was a horrible word to describe her,” one fan noted.
While another expressed: “Nah I don’t like calling a character racist against colonizers that destroyed her planet, home, land, village, family and culture.”
In previous discussions with Avatar.com, Saldaña has acknowledged the trauma Neytiri experiences.
“The level of pain that her and Jake are enduring is unimaginable,” the dedicated American actress stated.
Audiences can form their own opinions on Saldaña’s interpretation of her character when the movie hits theaters on Friday (December 19).