Academy Award-winning star Zoe Saldana has become the highest-grossing actor of all time, she said in a video on Wednesday.
Saldana achieved this feat after her appearance in James Cameron’s fantasy drama Avatar: Fire and Ash.
The 47-year-old actress shared a video on Instagram on Wednesday, in which she extended her gratitude to fans and the production banners for helping her achieve this milestone.
As per industry data-tracking site The Numbers, Saldana’s films have so far earned more than USD 15.46 billion (Rs 1,546 crore), putting Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson in the second and third spots, respectively.
Saldana’s career includes roles in three of the highest‑grossing films ever. She appears in 2009’s Avatar and its 2022 sequel The Way of Water, which hold the No 1 and No 3 spots globally.
She is also the first actress to be cast in four movies that have each earned over USD 2 billion worldwide, including the 2018 film Avengers: Infinity War. Additionally, Saldana played Nyota Uhura in the Star Trek trilogy, a series that also crossed the USD 1 billion mark globally.
“I just want to express my sincerest gratitude for the extraordinary journey that has led me to become the highest-grossing film actor of all time today," she said, adding, “An achievement made possible entirely, entirely by the incredible franchises and the collaborators that I have been fortunate enough to be a part of, to every director who placed their trust in me,” the actress said in the video.
Saldana thanked the filmmakers who supported her throughout her career, including J.J. Abrams (Star Trek), Joe and Anthony Russo (Avengers), James Gunn (Guardians) and James Cameron. “For believing in my potential, for seeing something in me that I have not always seen in myself, and for challenging me to always rise to the occasion. Your faith, your guidance and your vision – they shape not only these films but also me as an artist.”
Also starring Sam Worthington, Avatar: Fire and Ash is the third instalment in the billion-dollar Avatar franchise directed by Cameron. The original film, set in a fictional celestial body named Pandora, released in 2009 and revolved around the Na’vi people and their fight against human colonisers.
Returning alongside Worthington and Saldaña are Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Britain Dalton, Jack Champion, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Bailey Bass, Joel David Moore, Edie Falco and Dileep Rao.
Oona Chaplin of Game of Thrones fame joins the cast as Varang, the leader of the Ash People.