Veteran actress Zoe Saldaña didn't have a pleasurable experience when she starred in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, and she even went as far as to say it was disappointing.
Before Saldaña acted in box-office megahits such as Avatar and Avengers: Endgame, she had a small role in Disney's theme-park-ride-turned-movie, Pirates of the Caribbean.
The actress was only featured in the first film in the franchise where she played Anamaria, a pirate that joined Jack Sparrow's crew to help sail the Interceptor in order to take back the Black Pearl from his nemesis, Captain Hector Barbossa.
Since appearing in the 2003 film, Saldaña has expressed her disappointment with her time the franchise. In October 2022 she talked about how upsetting it was and even stated that "[she] walked away not really having a good experience."
Zoe Saldaña's Negative Experience With Pirates of the Caribbean
In an interview with BBC Radio 1, Hollywood star Zoe Saldaña explained why playing in Pirates of the Caribbean was one of the low points of her career.
The Curse of the Black Pearl was Saldaña's first major Hollywood production, and the actress recently described it as "not-so-good." However, she also noted that producer Jerry Bruckheimer did "apologize" to her after he found out that she felt being in the movie was a "disappointment:"
"I really had a not so good experience because of just the poor management at that time, and Jerry Bruckheimer knows this, we spoke about it eventually. I think he read somewhere where I had expressed my discomfort and disappointment, and years later he apologized, which felt really quite honorable actually, I have to say."
Saldaña then went on to discuss her feelings after the production was over, but then also mentioned how Steven Spielberg found her and wanted to cast her in his 2004 film, The Terminal:
"But, from that experience I was like 'I'm never going to do this again, I'm just going to stay in New York and work out of New York and that's it.' And then I sent a tape and Steven Spielberg saw it, and cast me from my various notes and tapes that he kept asking me to do from New York and then I met him, and I had also worked with Diego Luna and Tom Hanks and it was just, it was a dream come true."
Where Zoe Saldaña is Today
It is unfortunate that Zoe Saldaña had such a bad experience with Pirates of the Caribbean since the film is such a staple in the Disney film library, but if she had stayed on and returned for any of the sequels, her career may not have played out the way it did.
Since Pirates of the Caribbean hit theaters in 2003, Saldaña has been cast in some of the biggest films and franchises in movie history.
As previously mentioned, she starred as Neytiri in the Avatar franchise, portrayed Gamora in multiple films throughout the MCU, and even had a role in the most recent Star Trek trilogy.
If Saldaña had decided to stay on with Pirates, some of those other huge roles that have defined her career may have not been available.
Most importantly, it seems as though the actress is happy with the decision she made all those years ago, and has enjoyed an illustrious career.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, along with its four sequels, are available to stream on Disney+.
