James Cameron Champions Zoe Saldaña’s Oscar Win: The ‘Avatar’ Family Has Always Known Her to Be a ‘World-Class Performer’

variety.com:

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Zoe Saldaña is an Oscar winner, and James Cameron is over the moon. The “Avatar” director shared his reaction to his leading lady’s victory by telling Variety: “I was so happy to see Zoe acknowledged as the world-class performer we, in the ‘Avatar’ family, have always known her to be.

Her acceptance speech was a noble reminder of what immigrant families bring to the U.S. and to Hollywood.” In her Oscars speech, Saldaña proudly referred to herself as the “proud child of immigrant parents” while revealing she had become the first American of Dominican decent to win an Academy Award. “And I know I will not be the last.

I hope,” she added. “The fact that I’m getting an award for a role where I got to sing and speak in Spanish — my grandmother, if she were here, she would be so delighted, this is for my grandmother.” Cameron directed Saldaña in 2009’s “Avatar” and 2022’s “Avatar: The Way of Water.” He’s currently in post-production on the third “Avatar” movie and has long been one of Saldaña’s biggest supporters.

After her Golden Globe win in January, Saldaña told press that Cameron was one of the first people to get in touch with her and send along congratulations. “I was sitting in the audience, and I received a message from James Cameron, who’s somewhere in New Zealand right now, cutting ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash.’ And he, after all these years, believes in me,” she said.