Zoe Saldana takes on The Losers

[Laura]

Zoe Saldana takes on The Losers
By Jamie Portman, Canwest News ServiceApril 14, 2010BEVERLY HILLS

- As soon as she strides into the room, Zoe Saldana begins sending the message that she's in the mood for being both sexy and aggressive.

She's wearing a form-fitting black leather jacket over a grey tank top, and tight black jeans. Her hair is down. A silver chain necklace catches the light. Her finger nails are blood red.

She's definitely anxious to discuss her sizzling portrayal of "a bad-ass chick" in the lively new action thriller, The Losers, and within minutes of arriving for this news conference, she's enthusiastically reliving the violence of her scenes with co-star Jeffrey Dean Morgan - a violence which leads to equally ferocious lovemaking. In fact, moviegoers will later discover in another fiery moment that sex can also kindle her incendiary instincts to the point of turning a bedroom into flames.

"We really wanted that fight scene to be amazing," she says, and adds that stunt co-ordinator Garrett Warren, who had also worked with her on Avatar, was a huge help. "He's the one who has beaten me up," she adds jokingly, "and he knows exactly what my body can do at times when I don't even know I can do it myself."

The softer femininity which graced Saldana's portrayal of Neytiri in Avatar has yielded to something more formidable in The Losers. In the new Warner Brothers release opening April 23, she plays Aisha, a sultry and mysterious operative who becomes involved with an elite Special Forces unit which is in pursuit of a diabolical international villain.

For the gritty but boisterous The Losers, which is based on a DC/Vertigo graphic novel, Neytiri's bows and arrows certainly wouldn't do the job, so Saldana became well-schooled in guns and knife play and down-and-dirty fighting required to serve the comic-book violence. And because director Sylvain White was so high on authenticity, she continued her physical training during a summer of filming in Puerto Rico.

It paid off during her fight scenes with Morgan.

"Sylvain wanted it to be violent, but he always said to us: 'While they're beating the crap out of each other, they're also getting to know each other.' So it's really like a very violent conversation. Jeffrey and I really wanted to capture that."

Morgan plays Clay, leader of the Special Forces team which has been double-crossed by the villainous Max, portrayed by Jason Patric, but Saldana's enigmatic Aisha, a combination of lethal weapon and sex machine, proves a powerful distraction.

Saldana, 32, figures she had to be a really tough babe in the movie, given that she's the only female among a bunch of macho males.

"When you're the only girl in the cast, it's almost like you have twice as much work to do, because you don't want to be singled out," she laughs. There was no way that she would allow herself to be perceived as a wimp. "So I toughed it out. I really wanted to impress the guys. I like being around men. I figure I can hold my own."

As for the big fight scene: "Jeffrey was absolutely amazing . . . . There were a couple of moments where I'd look at him - 'Oh my god, did I really hit you hard on your head?' Or he would look at me and be like - 'Did I slam you really hard?' But it was fun. I liked it."

A different aspect of Saldana is on view in the current Death at a Funeral. She co-stars with Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Tracy Morgan and James Marsden in a dark comedy about a funeral ceremony that takes a disastrously funny turn.

"I don't think I'm funny at all and I don't want to be," she says. "But I knew this was going to be an amazing experience."

But she also found The Losers an amazing experience because it gave her another chance to portray a strong female character. Maybe she'll play a "damsel in distress" one day - but not now.

"Right now I feel that Hollywood has made a living out of portraying women to be - god - such canker sores. We just have to be rescued all the time because we're so incompetent when, in reality, art needs to reflect what's going on in real life and in today's society . . . .

"I'm from Queens and I'm not from that era where I was baking cookies . . . . I grew up in Queens in the Eighties where women were the caretakers and they were the soldiers - and I'm in that phase right now."

Once this phase is over she'll be ready to portray the damsel in distress. "But right now, I like holding the gun. I like participating in the saving of the day. I think it's really sexy."

And speaking of sex, Saldana tells the April issue of Essence magazine that she adores it. "Love it, love it, love it!" she declares. "I'm more of a punch-drunk-love kind of girl. I mean punch as in that pow, that jolt, that kick in the gut. I like things that are severe, passionate and extreme."

She's also on record as saying that she's prepared to do a really graphic sex scene on camera. Meanwhile she seems more than satisfied with her bedroom cavortings with Morgan in The Losers.

Morgan says doing a love scene with Saldana was tougher than fighting her. "I've got Zoe Saldana sitting on my lap naked - yeah, rough!" he remembers. Saldana makes clear that her rugged co-star behaved himself, unlike some others she has worked with.

"It helps when you get along with the actors and it helps that Jeffrey was such a gentleman, and so respectful because, trust me, as a woman, try doing that with a freaking prick - been there. It's not a good day at work

"You're the only one that's naked and you have to act like you're not aware that you're naked and not only that, you have to flip your hair and have an orgasm. When you work with a good director and a great actor, that makes it seem like a regular Tuesday, then love scenes are just like any other fight scene ... awesome."

But she was always determined to hold her own in this male dominated enclave. And how did she relax at the end of a shooting day?

"Do you want the PG-13 version?" she asks with a giggle. "I would just have a beer with the guys. I'm a beer and wine kind of girl and I like to unwind with the boys."

Then she adds with grin: "Trust me. My mom was with me the entire time . . . ."

Joking aside, Saldana is dedicated to her craft - and loyal to those who have helped her.

"You can only ask for one thing - just to be able to be in films, living off your art enough to pay the bills."

She knows the impact of Avatar on her career, and when director James Cameron comes calling with news of the sequel, she'll be ready and willing even if she has to wait years.

"It's whatever the boss says. . . . Whatever's gonna happen is gonna happen. The good thing we know about Jim is that it's not so good sometimes if you have to wait 10 years for it, but by the time he does come around, he gives you something that changes your life . . . . I know that Avatar 2 is going to be as great as the first one."

The Losers opens wide April 23.
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainme ... story.html

[Tink922]

What a lucky girl that Zoe is, eh?

[jeffreymakesmesmile]

Ahh.... to dream of being naked on Jeff! A hard job but someone has to do! (Yeah, ladies get in line!)

[Laura]

IS THAT A "SPECIAL" LINE WE HAVE TO GET INTO????

[jeffreymakesmesmile]

REALLY "SPECIAL" natural too. starts forming BEHIND ME LAURA!

[Laura]

SO YOU ARE SAYING YOU WANT IT FROM BEHIND???? SORRY I JUST HAD TO SAY THAT!!!!!

[jeffreymakesmesmile]

Hey he's got a "night rod special" so, should I care?

[Tink922]

Poor Jeff. . .

[Laura]

He is NEVER gonna live down that word. Oh well, it makes it fun for us!!!

I really liked how Zoe said that Jeff was a gentleman, it would be very awkward to be as scantily clothed as she was and have the other actor be reacting any way but as a gentleman. It says a great deal about Jeff as a person. Yes he jokes now about it all, but the fact that he made it comfortable to Zoe shows the respect that Jeff had for Zoe.

[Sherie]

I really liked how Zoe said that Jeff was a gentleman, it would be very awkward to be as scantily clothed as she was and have the other actor be reacting any way but as a gentleman. It says a great deal about Jeff as a person. Yes he jokes now about it all, but the fact that he made it comfortable to Zoe shows the respect that Jeff had for Zoe.

I agree Laura, just shows how much respect Jeff has for women. His Mama raised him right and should be very proud of her son. What a great quality in a man. Just another reason we luv him!