Updated: Dec 25, 2025 04:25 PM IST
Zoe Saldana called her character in the Avatar franchise, Neytri, ‘racist’. Avatar Fire and Ash is directed by James Cameron and is in theaters now.
Actress Zoe Saldana has commented on her character, Neytri, in the Avatar franchise. The actor has played the character in all installments of the franchise, with the latest release being Fire and Ash, which is now playing in theaters worldwide. In a new interview with CinemaBlend, Zoe has called Neytrit ‘racist’, which has not been well received by fans of the film. Many people commented on social media that it seemed the actor had misunderstood his character’s legitimate grief.
What did Zoe say about Neytri?
During the interview, Zoe said, “Let’s face it, Neytiri is a racist. And she just… and loses her sight because of this blind rage of hers. She forgets that the person she loves most in her life and respects most is her husband, and he’s human, he’s a sky-person and I think it took a lot of courage for Jake to be honest with her and force that – even knowing that he is broken, that he knows what he needs to deal with it, because he sees where she’s going and I think it’s more familiar to him where Neytiri is going than it is to Neytiri herself.”
How the internet reacted
Soon, Zoe’s comments surfaced on social media where many users reacted to it. One said, ‘You can’t be racist towards your oppressors, not even in a sci-fi setting. Hope this helps!” Another said, “How can you so badly misunderstand a character you’ve been playing for the last 20 years?” Another user said, “What is that?! “He’s not racist, he’s against colonialism.”
One comment read, “Brother what? Neytiri believes in balance and the will of Eva and it’s all been disrupted by the Skye people. She’s not a racist, her faith, belonging and family are being destroyed by colonists. She found love from Jake because he was willing to learn from her and accept her.”
Another user argued, “Racist???? Her hate has nothing to do with race…? It’s because she is sick and tired of the invasion and colonization of her home.” One user said, “I’ve never seen someone misunderstand their character so badly.”
James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash follows 2009’s Avatar and picks up directly after 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water. The previous installment concluded with Marine turned Na’vi leader Jake Sully and Na’vi warrior Neytiri losing her eldest son, Netaim. He was killed while attempting to save his younger siblings from the Resource Development Administration (RDA).
