James Cameron has lauded Avatar star Zoe Saldaña following her victory at the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 97th Oscars. She garnered the accolade for her portrayal of attorney Rita Mora Castro in Emilia Perez, the surprise musical success on Netflix.
“I was overjoyed to see Zoe recognized as the exceptional talent we, in the Avatar family, have always believed her to be,” he told Variety. “Her acceptance speech served as a cherished reminder of the contributions immigrant families make to the United States and to Hollywood.”
Cameron referenced how Saldaña expressed her pride in being a “child of immigrant parents” during her speech. The actress added: “The fact that I’m receiving this award for a role where I had the opportunity to sing and speak in Spanish – my grandmother, if she were alive, would be so thrilled; this is for my grandmother.”
This isn’t the first occasion Cameron has publicly commended Saldaña, who mentioned earlier this year that he reached out to her following her Golden Globe win.
“I was sitting in the audience when I received a message from James Cameron, who’s currently in New Zealand, working on Avatar: Fire and Ash,” the actress recounted in the press room after her win. “And he, after all these years, continues to believe in me. So that, to me, fuels my desire to keep evolving as an artist.”
Saldaña stars as Neytiri in the Avatar franchise, a role she first took on in her twenties. Not long ago, she revealed that she has made a 26-year commitment to the film series, which includes several sequels in production, such as Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third installment in the series set to be released later this year.
For more insights, check out our coverage of the 2025 Oscars live as they unfolded and our summary of the complete 2025 Oscar winners.