Zoe Saldana is on a mission to empower Generation Z and tell more Latinx stories in Hollywood.
The 39-year-old actress spoke exclusively to Us Weekly about launching her new media brand, BESE, to focus on this endeavor. “Because the mission of BESE is to reshape the cultural narrative by shining light on the untold story that reflects today’s America, that also meant creating opportunities for content creators in the tech and digital world that haven’t necessary been given the opportunity that they deserve,” the Guardians of the Galaxy star explained of BESE, which will be available on social media platforms and web/editorial. “We hired a lot of Latinx video content creators because we want to manifest our mission from the inside out.”
Saldana also opened up about sharing her passion project with husband Marco Perego and their three children, twin sons Bowie and Cy, 3, and son Zen, 1. “We have a series [on the platform] called Hidden Figuras and obviously it is a play on the title of Hidden Figures, that movie. We liked it so much and we’re so passionate about this show because we’re gonna be exploring the contributions and social impact that people of color have been having in our nation’s history,” she dished. “For some reason, these events and these personalities never made it into our history books … It is important for us to reflect on all kinds of role models and trailblazers that we’ve had past and present. Because one thing that’s for certain, especially given this box office record breaking hit with Black Panther, is that we need heroes. We need role models that reflect who we are in order for us to cultivate inspiration.”
The Avatar starlet, who draws inspiration from the likes of Rosie Perez, Sigourney Weaver, Reese Witherspoon and Gina Rodriquez, hopes to influence positive change in the industry by showcasing diversity. “I’ve been impacted my whole life by trailblazers. Whether they were current at that time or still relevant today, or current today, not only are they using their talents to benefit their personal growth, but they’re giving back,” she gushed. “They’re giving back to their community. Whatever those communities may be.”
Added the Star Trek actress, “Either by sharing their insight, by sharing their knowledge, by shedding light on organizations and movements and people that we should all be knowing about and talking about, because they’re bringing change to their local communities. I’m impacted every day by these voices.”
With reporting by Travis Cronin
