Zoe Saldaña on How Winning an Oscar Rekindled Her Spark, Her Relationship to Jewelry and Parenting

Do you feel attuned with this particular collection, En Équilibre?

I feel an affinity with all Cartier pieces, because I love the harmony of inspiration that this fashion house has always drawn from nature, flora and fauna, which it has redesigned and reinvented to create these pieces that are simply beautiful. So even if I’m wearing something that I know was made by a man or a woman, I feel like it’s a natural element. It’s a strange emotion to describe.

What is your greatest gift, or quality, as an actress and as a human being?

I’m a very dedicated person. I take great pride in always giving 150 percent of myself, because when I give less, I feel very disappointed. I can be very, very hard on myself. I’m also learning to appreciate more what I do, and that’s a process just by accepting that I’m human. I give it my all, in short, and I try to be grateful for the experience I am having. As a person, however, I am very loyal.

Cartier’s panthère dentelle necklace

Do you think that winning an Oscar will have an impact on your career and your choices for the future, one way or another?

You know, usually awards like this affect an actor’s career for the better. At my age, after all the years I’ve spent doing this work, if there’s one big lesson I’ve learned from this award is that it has been able to rekindle that spark in me that for some reason I thought I didn’t need to have anymore. And that spark allows me, as a woman, to continue to strive to grow and age gracefully. I think it is as if a ticking clock looms over us women, marking time that passes quickly, a clock that has been imposed on us by others. Reminding myself that this is a job I can do until the end of my days is really rewarding.

Anna Sawai. Photo courtesy Cartier.

Alexander Skarsgård. Photo courtesy Cartier.

In your speech at the Oscars you thanked your family, both your parents and the one you have built with your husband Marco, who is Italian. How has your family influenced you?