Supplemental post -- Zoe Saldana

While I was watching a trailer for Death at a Funeral, I realized that Zoe Saldana seems to be in EVERYTHING. Ever since she appeared in Star Trek, then received a great deal of recognition for her role in Avatar, she seems to be the face in every new film. Interestingly, my roommate mentioned to me that Zoe Saldana seems to be the hip new black actress, which is similar to what we were discussing in class in regards to Jennifer Lopez.
Now that Zoe Saldana has risen in popularity, she is becoming the go-to girl for African American female roles, like how actresses like Halle Berry or Gabrielle Union. It seems like there is normally one or two very popular actresses who fill every role whenever a black actress is needed. In fact, I could only think of Halle Berry when I went to write that sentence so I asked my roommate for another example—she couldn’t think of anyone either. We googled top black actresses and the only other examples listed were Raven Symone and Queen Latifah, who do not fill the same types of roles that someone like Zoe Saldana or Halle Berry would. Now, Zoe Saldana has taken the position as the major prominent black actress whenever there is any role that requires a black actress.
What is most interesting about all this is that she isn’t even black, and yet she always seems to be playing characters who can be assumed to be black. Zoe Saldana is actually Puerto Rican and Dominican, living mush of her life in the Dominican Republic. And yet, because she is ethnic, she can adapt to the ethnicity that is required for the role she is playing. Like how we were discussing Jake Gyllenhal in the Prince of Persia, I feel like there has to be qualified black actresses who could fill the roles that she is now playing.