'Avatar' Actress Zoe Saldana Celebrates Her 43rd Birthday with a Special Message to Herself

Zoe Saldana, one of the brightest stars in Hollywood, shared a series of pictures and videos on Instagram alongside a lengthy message in honor of her 43rd birthday.

Marking her 43rd birthday, "Avatar" actress Zoe Saldana looked back on her memorable moments in the past. She posted several photos and clips on Instagram about the best times of her life.

She shared snaps from when she filmed "Guardians of the Galaxy." The youthful actress, who has 7.5 million followers, sat on a makeup chair as prosthetic artists covered her in green paint.

The green paint was part of Saldana's makeup as the character Gamora in the Marvel film. She recently revealed she was about to use green contact lenses, but director James Gunn found it uncomfortable.

She also shared pictures and clips of herself dancing in her sweatshirt, inside the makeup room, and by the railings. In her lengthy message, she wrote:

"Here's to 43 years around the sun, to making yourself the joke for the sake of those you love..."

The birthday snaps amassed 878,288 likes with 8,000 fans sending their warm greetings to the movie star. Actress Eiza Gonzales wrote, "Happy bday mamacita! You're an inspiration."

In August 2020, she apologized for playing the late singer Nina Simone in the biopic film "Nina."

Saldana shared an adorable selfie that showed her drinking a glass of wine while pulling a funny expression. She added another photo showing her Italian husband, Marco Saldana with their kids.

The veteran actress has been married to her 42-year-old husband since 2013. They share three children - six-year-old twins Bowie Ezio and Cy Aridio, as well as four-year-old Zen.

As a proud mother of three boys, Saldana seems fine about not having a daughter. She said she's committed to raising her sons to become good men in the future.

As much as fans praised Saldana's beauty and parenting skills, she also faced criticisms as an actress. In August 2020, she apologized for playing the late singer Nina Simone in the biopic film "Nina."

Released in 2016, the film was heavily criticized with critics questioning why the actress, who is of Dominican and Puerto Rican descent, portrayed Simone, a celebrated Black female singer-songwriter.

Saldana reportedly wore a prosthetic nose and skin-darkening makeup for the film. She regretted her decision and wished she could have given way for a Black actress to portray Simone's role.

Simone was a singer and a civil rights activist, known for songs such as "I Put a Spell On You," "I Loves You, Porgy," and "Feelin' Good." She passed away in 2003 at the age of 70.