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People left seriously confused as Zoe Saldaña claims her alien character in Avatar: Fire and Ash is actually 'racist'

Home> Film & TV> News

Published 14:17 23 Dec 2025 GMT

People left seriously confused as Zoe Saldaña claims her alien character in Avatar: Fire and Ash is actually 'racist'

Zoe Saldaña, portrays Neytiri in Avatar, but believes her character is racist

Joe Yates

Joe Yates

People have been left scratching their heads after Zoe Saldaña described her iconic Avatar character Neytiri as being 'racist'.

The Oscar-winning actor, who has portrayed the fierce Na’vi warrior since James Cameron’s 2009 blockbuster, made the comments while discussing the upcoming sequel Avatar: Fire and Ash.

Speaking to Cinemablend, Saldaña opened up about Neytiri’s emotional arc and didn’t hold back with her wording.

“Let's face it Neytiri's is a racist and she just... and she loses sight because of this blind fury that she has,” she said.

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Saldaña went on to explain that Neytiri’s anger deeply affects her relationship with Jake Sully, a human-turned-Na’vi played by Sam Worthington.

She continued: "She loses sight that the person that she loves the most and respects the most in her life is her husband, and he is human, he's a sky-person and I think it takes a lot of courage for Jake to be honest with her and to force her - even knowing that she is broken - that he knows that she needs to face this 'cause he sees in the direction that she's heading and I think it's much more familiar to him where Neytiri's heading than for Neytiri herself.

"So it was powerful and I think that we really needed to go there but it - I can't, I can't tell you enough how great it was to also take her off every evening and just put her on the side and just go home without her weight on me."

The internet wasted no time reacting after a clip of the interview began circulating on TikTok.

"Guys. It's a movie about blue space aliens," one user hilariously quipped.

Another typed: "This makes me not wanna watch the movie because this is wild."

Zoe Saldaña, portrays Neytiri in Avatar, but believes her character is racist (20th Century Fox)
Zoe Saldaña, portrays Neytiri in Avatar, but believes her character is racist (20th Century Fox)

While others, who were so engrossed by the story, were offended by Saldaña's use of the word 'racist'.

"She was not tho….. that was a horrible word to describe her," one fan added.

While someone else added: "Nah I don’t like calling a character racist against colonizers that destroyed her planet, home, land, village, family and culture."

Saldaña has previously acknowledged the trauma Neytiri carries, while speaking to Avatar.com.

"The level of pain that her and Jake are enduring is unimaginable," the passionate American added.

Fans can decide whether they agree with Saldaña’s assessment of her character or not, with the movie being released in theaters on Friday (December 19).

Featured Image Credit: cinemablend

Topics: Racism, James Cameron

Joe Yates
Joe Yates

Joe is a journalist for UNILAD, who particularly enjoys writing about crime. He has worked in journalism for five years, and has covered everything from murder trials to celeb news.

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@JMYjourno

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