I was today years old when I realised Zoe Saldaña was in The Terminal, before she got her big MCU break

Long before receiving an Oscar for her performance in Emilia Pérez, Zoe Saldaña had starred in Steven Spielberg's The Terminal, which followed Tom Hanks as an Eastern European man stuck at an American airport after his home country was taken over by a military coup.

Released in 2004, it starred many young faces who have now become household names. One of them was Zoe Saldaña, who had starred in smaller parts in a few projects, including Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

However, The Terminal offered her a chance to be seen by a larger audience, considering the popularity of Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks at the time. The two had just collaborated on Catch Me If You Can, which was a major critical and commercial success. So, their next project was bound to get more traction. The same movie might have led Saldaña to be a part of blockbuster projects like Avatar, Star Trek, and Guardians of the Galaxy.

The Terminal: Zoe Saldaña bagged a role in a Steven Spielberg movie early in her career

Guardians of the Galaxy made Zoe Saldaña popular among the MCU fans as Gamora. Until then, many knew her as Neytiri in James Cameron's Avatar. While starring in these big-budget flicks, she was also part of some relatively smaller-scale projects.

One of them is Steven Spielberg's The Terminal. Unlike his previous works, this 2004 film received a mixed response from the critics. Still, even two decades later, his fans find it a charming affair about a misunderstood but kind-hearted man.

The Terminal mainly followed the push-and-pull dynamic between the characters played by Tom Hanks and Stanley Tucci. Hanks starred as tourist Viktor while Tucci played ruthless US Customs and Border officer Frank. After the military coup, Viktor essentially became a man of no land. Unable to return home and stay in the US, he decided to place himself at the airport until he could find another solution. So, for a long time, that airport became his home.

Frank hated Viktor since Viktor came between his potential promotion. That's why he made Viktor's life miserable in any way possible. Viktor remained resilient throughout this ordeal and found meaningful connections with people working at the airport. That's when he crossed paths with Officer Dolores Torres, played by Zoe Saldaña.

What was Zoe Saldaña's role in Steven Spielberg's The Terminal?

Zoe Saldaña had a meaningful role in The Terminal as her character helped Viktor to understand the complicated process of his stay in the United States. However, he was also a wingman to Enrique Cruz (Diego Luna), a food service deliverer at the airport. Viktor helped Enrique confess his love to Dolores.

In 2004, neither Saldaña nor Luna were known faces in Hollywood. Of course, Luna had starred in many Spanish projects, including Alfonso Cuarón's masterful Y tu mamá también. Saldaña had worked in a Pirates of the Caribbean movie. However, The Terminal might just have been their big break in mainstream Hollywood. Luna eventually became Cassian Andor in the Star Wars universe while Saldaña bagged a role in the Star Trek universe.

At the time, Saldaña did not have a positive experience working on the Pirates movie set. However, Steven Spielberg's The Terminal allowed her a comfortable working environment, as explained by her in a 2022 interview with Entertainment Weekly,

“I worked with Steven Spielberg eight months later, and he restored my faith that big can also be great."

Saldaña also recalled something that the director told her then.

“In order for you to know where you are, you have to know where you came from.”

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