Zoe Saldaña’s Bold Schiaparelli Gown and Velvet Heels Turn Heads at Avatar: The Way of Water Premiere

Zoe Saldaña capped off a dazzling promotional tour for Avatar: The Way of Water with a standout red carpet moment in Hollywood. Throughout the campaign, the actress collaborated with celebrity stylist Petra Flannery to deliver one fashion-forward look after another, each one showcasing her refined taste and bold fashion sensibility.

Zoe Saldaña Steals the Spotlight at Los Angeles Premiere of Avatar: The Way of Water

At the final premiere stop in Los Angeles, she ensured the spotlight remained firmly on her with a show-stopping designer ensemble and carefully curated accessories.

Zoe Saldaña looks every bit the movie star in a Schiaparelli Fall 2022 Haute Couture look at the Los Angeles premiere of Avatar: The Way of Water on December 12, 2022 (Credit: BauerGriffin / INSTARimages / Cover Images)

She wore a Schiaparelli Fall 2022 Haute Couture creation with a structured bustier top and a ruffled skirt that’s shaped like a rose in full bloom.

Her beauty look consisted of a slicked-back low bun with a side-swept fringe. Her red lip matched the ruby pendant on her Bulgari metallic choker.

Zoe Saldaña with a side-swept fringe and a Bulgari pendant choker at the Los Angeles premiere of Avatar: The Way of Water on December 12, 2022 (Credit: BauerGriffin / INSTARimages / Cover Images)

Marco Perego, who is Zoe’s dashing husband, joined her on the blue carpet in a matching all-black ensemble with side-swept hair.

Zoe Saldaña with husband Marco Perego in matching all-black looks at the Los Angeles premiere of Avatar: The Way of Water on December 12, 2022 (Credit: BauerGriffin / INSTARimages / Cover Images)

As for her footwear, Zoe Saldaña opted for Alexandre Birman Dominique sandals. This black velvet pair features a metallic gold leather trim with a knotted vamp detail.

These Alexandre Birman Dominique feature delicate ankle straps and stiletto heels

Zoe Saldaña Opens Up About Feeling “Stuck” in Franchise Roles

At the Los Angeles premiere, Zoe Saldaña “set the record straight” regarding the comments she made about working in massive film franchises.

In her interview with WWD, she admitted to feeling “artistically stuck in my craft of not being able to expand or grow or challenge myself by playing different sorts of genres and different roles.”

Aside from reprising her role as Neytiri in Avatar: The Way of Water, she also played iconic characters in some of the biggest blockbuster movies, including Guardians of the Galaxy and Star Trek.

Zoe Saldaña as Uhura in the 2009 science fiction action film Star Trek, which is the 11th film in the franchise and a reboot of the iconic television series (Credit: Paramount Pictures)

“I feel that for the last 10 years of my life, I’ve been just stuck,” Zoe Saldaña told WWD. “I felt stuck doing these franchises.”

Branching Out: Zoe Saldaña Explores More Personal Projects

Naturally, she worked on non-franchises like From Scratch and Amsterdam to take control “over [her] aging” and “over [her] voice.”

She continued by saying that she’s happy about collaborating with some of the most brilliant artists in the industry “that want that for women, that want women to be ageless and who don’t fetishize women’s youth.”

Zoe Saldaña as Amy Wheeler in the 2022 drama limited series From Scratch (Credit: Netflix)

Zoe Saldaña Clarifies Her Comments About Franchise Fatigue

But Zoe Saldaña felt the need to clarify her statements, telling Deadline that “[she] would love to set the record straight.”

“I feel grateful and like the luckiest girl in this town knowing that I was invited to join films with special directors in a special cast,” she said. “And they resonated with people so much so that we get a chance to come back again and come back another time. If anything, I’ve reaped all the benefits of that, I’ve gained friends. I still have mentors that I call and I lean into.”

“But you know, I think that once I started my family, it just became really hard for me to sustain both worlds and also then cater to this curiosity of playing other different characters or playing earthlings you know, but I’m happy in space,” Zoe continued. “I’ve always been happy in space. I relate to people that love space as well.

Zoe Saldaña as Gamora in the 2014 superhero film Guardians of the Galaxy (Credit: Marvel Studios / Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Finding Common Ground with Visionary Directors

As for her collaborators, she mentioned that she could relate to “men like James Gunn and James Cameron and JJ Abrams, and Steven Spielberg.”

Zoe explained that “maybe there is a common thread, maybe there’s something that we all have in common of knowing what it’s like to be misfits, and growing up feeling like you don’t belong and finding that space created that blank canvas, where you can imagine the unimaginable.”

“And the fact that they saw me, a little girl from Queens, and I can do those things for them – I can only be so grateful if they call me back again and again and again,” Zoe finally said.

Sam Worthington as Jake Sully and Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri in the upcoming epic science fiction film Avatar: The Way of Water (Credit: 20th Century Studios)