Zoe Saldana on her Latina Roots and Roles in Hollywood

 (You can start the video from 1:25 and end at 2:20)

In our last class, we discussed Latina American women in the media. This video of an interview with Zoe Saldana on Chelsea Lately is very relevant to what we had discussed in class on the myth of Latina women and also the representation of Latina women in the media, especially Hollywood. Zoe Saldana is half Dominican and half Puerto Rican and raised in Queens, New York. Zoe had fun showing Chelsea and the audience her Latina roots and the Latina stereotype by pulling back her hair, revealing her big hoop earrings and jokingly says all she needs is some gum and she automatically looks the part of a Latina Queens girl and showing she can also have the accent as well. Zoe explains why most people have never even heard an accent when she talks so that she can avoid getting the "Maria" roles in Hollywood. Zoe Saldana is a respected actress in Hollywood and her choice to remain "neutral" in Hollywood has certainly given her opportunities to be multiple films that are all diverse in characters she plays and also does not portray the Latina woman stereotype.

Can you guys think of any other Latina women that are "neutral" in Hollywood? Do you think that by being neutral, we can have more representations of women of different ethnicity in the media?