How Zoe Saldaña helped shape Pixar's upcoming film ‘Elio'
The filmmakers behind Pixar's latest animated movie, Elio, say Zoe Saldaña was the perfect choice to join the voice cast — and they had several reasons why.
'We're grateful to have Zoe joining our project. She's the queen of sci-fi,' says codirector Madeline Sharafian, referring to Saldaña's iconic roles in Avatar, Star Trek, and Guardians of the Galaxy. 'We wanted this film to feel like Pixar's love letter to sci-fi.'
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On Tuesday, Pixar released a new trailer for the film featuring Saldaña in action as aunt Olga. The film follows an 11-year-old boy (voiced by Yonas Kibreab) who is captivated by space and dreams of being abducted by aliens. After the loss of his parents, he goes to live with his aunt Olga, a highly respected U.S. Air Force major. As Olga adjusts to her new role as guardian, she must navigate the demands of military life while caring for a grieving, imaginative child.
'Zoe brought a lot of military know-how. She's played a lot of strong military characters in the past,' Sharafian tells Gold Derby. 'She was able to bring that balance of warmth when Olga is trying to step into this parental role, but also when Olga is in professional mode and she turns it on — it's a really difficult needle to thread for this character who needs to be a little bit of an unlikeable parent.'
Sharafian adds that Saldaña, who won an Oscar earlier this year for her role in Emilia Pérez, added a performance that was essential in grounding the character with emotional realism.
'She did such a gorgeous job of giving Olga vulnerability,' says Sharafian. 'Underneath everything you can tell there is love for Elio — even if she is having these arguments. I don't think we would be successful without her.'
Pixar
Codirector Domee Shi, who previously helmed Pixar's Turning Red also highlighted how Saldaña's cultural background played a pivotal role in shaping the film's authenticity.
'She has endless range. She can do comedy. She can do drama. She's also incredibly smart and thoughtful,' Shi tells Gold Derby. 'We leaned on her a lot in flushing out Olga's Dominican background. Lines and expression — she was able to add an authentic Dominican flavor to it that just made Olga feel more real. I am so grateful for that.'
The filmmakers' commitment to authenticity extended beyond dialogue. Saldaña collaborated closely with the creative team to add personal touches to Olga's world—details that reflect the characters' multicultural roots.
'Elio [has] both Dominican and Mexican side represented in the [his] house,' Sharafian says. 'There's a moment in the film where Olga hears a song on the radio that she really likes, and we did ask Zoe for input on that — like, which Dominican song would Olga like, would you like? There is a moment in the film where Olga says, 'Oh, I love that song.' And Zoe really does love that song.'
Elio hits theaters June 20.
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