5 Zoe Saldaña Movies That Are Better Than Emilia Pérez

After starring in, undoubtedly, the most scandalous movie of last year, Zoe Saldaña is now the strongest contender for the Best Supporting Actress win at the upcoming Oscars ceremony.

Despite many issues that Emilia Pérez is facing now and is likely to face at the most important event of this awards season, the actress received another huge moment of fame that has already brought her a Golden Globe and surely has more in store not only for the Oscars, but for other upcoming award ceremonies.

However, Saldaña has been a quite promising and versatile actress even before she gained momentum as Gamora in the MCU and Neytiri in James Cameron ’s Avatar; brought down by the success of those blockbusters, Saldaña’s earlier movies remain hidden gems that actually proved her Oscar-worthy long time ago.

Infinitely Polar Bear (2014)

Also starring Saldaña’s MCU colleague Mark Ruffalo, Infinitely Polar Bear follows Cameron Stuart whose life starts falling apart once he’s diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Saldaña portrays Cameron’s wife Maggie who takes on an even bigger role of someone who has to keep things together in the family while also helping her husband go through all the hardships of his disease.

Sending a powerful message about the impact that a person’s mental illness might have on his entire family, Infinitely Polar Bear lets Saldaña deliver one of her best performances that is just as realistic and imperfectly perfect as it would certainly be in real life.

Drumline (2002)

The movie mostly follows Nick Cannon’s Devon Miles, a high school graduate who soon becomes a part of A&T University's band.

Delving into the matter of importance of teamwork for anything to get success, Drumline introduces Saldaña as Laila, a dancer who Devon falls in love with; despite only having a supporting role in here, the actress completely steals the show, proving that Laila might have easily gotten a movie of her own at some point.

Drumline’s limited screen time for Saldaña wasn’t an obstacle for her demonstrating her acting talent, though it’s still a shame that such a compelling character was unfairly deprived of her well-deserved amplified story.

Center Stage (2000)

Zoe Saldaña’s feature film debut, Center Stage is a gripping drama about challenges future professional dancers have to face as they grow up in the harsh atmosphere of a never-ending competition.

Despite the movie being the first big role in Saldaña’s career, it quickly proved that, no matter how much time will pass, she’ll get that Oscar anyway.

In Center Stage, the actress portrays Eva Rodríguez, a complex character who hides her own ambitions and insecurities deep down, coating it with her outside sarcastic tone and assumed self-confidence. The movie eventually confronts Eva, leaving her no other choice but to find an answer to a long-standing question of what she has to do to achieve everything she ever dreamed of.

Missing Link (2019)

This animated adventure comedy stars only Saldaña’s voice, yet it somehow comes as another proof of the actress’ ability to handle all sorts of complicated roles.

In Missing Link, Saldaña voices Adelina Fortnight, an adventurer who, despite her own reasons to not do it, unites her forces with Hugh Jackman ’s Lionel who looks for mythical creatures.

Adelina is a bold female character who strives for independence in the times when women had limited opportunities to have one, and Saldaña does an amazing job unraveling Adelina’s inner worries and biggest dreams with just the power of her voice.

Premium (2006)

A rare romcom in Saldaña’s list of movies, Premium follows her character Charli who, after a breakup with aspiring actor Reginald, tries to build her future life afresh with a new man when her ex suddenly reappears in her life, just 36 hours before her wedding.

Desperate to get back together with Charli, Reginald makes her confront her unresolved feelings towards him and face a life-changing choice.

Saldaña’s performance once again proves her phenomenal talent for diving deep into her characters’ psychological aspects, bringing another realistic depiction of emotional turmoil to the screen.