'Cute Bodyguards': Zoe Saldaña Joined on Red Carpet by Three Sons at Santa Barbara International Film Festival

The "Emilia Pérez" star arrived at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival ready to celebrate a career milestone—but it was her unexpected trio of VIP guests who captured everyone's attention.

Zoe Saldaña had a special family moment at the 40th Santa Barbara International Film Festival on February 12, 2025, sparking online buzz.

The actress attended the event at The Arlington Theatre in Santa Barbara, California, where she was honored with the American Riviera Award for her contributions to American cinema. However, the spotlight was not on her alone—her three sons joined her for the memorable evening.

The "Colombiana" alum walked the red carpet alongside her twin sons, Cy Aridio and Bowie Ezio, 10, and her youngest, Zen Anton, 8. The boys matched in dark jackets over white T-shirts, paired with coordinating dark pants and white sneakers.

Meanwhile, Saldaña stunned in a sleeveless sequined black gown, with her hair styled into an elegant updo adorned with a bow. She beamed as she embraced her children, capturing a heartwarming family moment before heading into the ceremony.

During the event, Saldaña reflected on the lessons she has gained from her career in film. She shared, "Your education should always be ongoing. And [as] actors, we run into this pattern that as soon as we begin to work, we stop studying. And I think it's super important to practice it. It's a muscle that only gets better through practice."

She emphasized the importance of continuously learning, "When you're not making art, you should be celebrating other people's arts or exercising your own."

Saldaña's appearance with her sons sparked excitement among fans, who quickly shared their thoughts on social media.

On Facebook, one user commented, "Her cute bodyguards!" Another wrote, "Beautiful just like momma." A third added, "They all look like their Mum."

Over on Instagram, users marveled at the family resemblance. One remarked, "Did his genes even try," referring to Saldaña's husband, Marco Perego. Another observed, "oh they stole mommy's face bad [sic]."

More users chimed in, calling them "All future models [sic]" and saying, "They look just like her." Others pointed out, "They stole her face," while one user wondered, "Where are their curls??"

Saldaña's red carpet moment with her sons highlighted a touching family bond, making her award recognition even more special.

This wasn't the first time the actress turned heads with her children at a major event. A few months earlier, on December 2, 2024, Saldaña, 46, attended the premiere of "Emilia Pérez" at the National Museum of Cinema in Turin, Italy, accompanied by her husband, Perego, 45, and their three sons.

Once again, the boys captured the spotlight, with fans online marveling at their resemblance to their famous mother.

For the industry affair, the "Avatar" star opted for a casual-chic ensemble, including a long-sleeved black top and a long gray skirt. She finished her look off with a bold dark red lip and accessorized with an eye-catching necklace.

Meanwhile, Perego rocked a striped t-shirt, which was covered by a cozy-looking cardigan and leather jacket. He also donned jeans, suede shoes, and a light-colored hat. The couple's twins, Cy and Bowie, wore similar outfits to each other and left their long hair loose.

Both sported navy suit jackets, white shirts, and black shoes. While one of them paired their outfit with black jeans, the other wore navy pants. Zen, whose hair was also left loose, donned black pants, sneakers, a printed t-shirt, and a blue jacket.

Aside from posing for pictures at the event's photocall, Saldaña, who stars as Rita Mora Castro in "Emilia Pérez," also received the Stella della Mole Award.

The National Museum of Cinema (aka Museo Nazionale del Cinema), which hosted the premiere, shared a video on Instagram on December 4 showing the actress receiving the award.

In it, Saldaña was seen speaking on stage alongside her husband and fellow titans in the industry before she was honored. Footage also displayed the star taking the time to pose for photos with fans and signing their autographs after she gave her acceptance speech.

Additionally, the post showed a special moment where iconic filmmaker James Cameron appeared onscreen to share a few words about Zoe.

"Yesterday @zoesaldana was the undisputed star of the evening 🔥 making the Temple Hall shine and receiving the Stella della Mole award for her talent and versatility in returning powerful and complex emotions on the big screen 🎬," began the organization's caption, which was originally written in Italian.

"In the link also @jamescameronofficial greeted the actress and anticipated that she will soon be a guest at the National Cinema Museum! Stay tuned 🔥," concluded the message.

Although Saldaña, who also stars in the series "Lioness," was the one being honored at the premiere, it was her boys who received most of the attention online. Many netizens complimented them and their hair, and marveled at the resemblance they share with Zoe.

"Wow she literally duplicated herself 3x!" exclaimed an Instagrammer, while a fan chimed in with, "Her children are gorgeous and a spitting image of her." Another echoed, "She really did a copy and paste with her kids."

More complimentary and resemblance comments ensued, with yet another observer opining, "All those little boys have the most gorgeous hair ever! The twins look exactly like little Zoes [sic]."

"Those kids have great hair lol," added a Facebooker, while a spectator wrote, "Those hair genes." "Wow! Those kids hit the jackpot with their genes! My gosh - all of them so [sic] beautiful," gushed someone else. Reiterating the public's affinity for the boys' hair, a fan noted, "blessed [sic] with great hair."

Echoing a similar sentiment, another expressed, "Wow, beautiful kids! Gorgeous hair," while an Instagrammer stated, "That's alot [sic] of hair in the bathroom cute family."

"Geez, talk about hitting the genetic lottery! Those are some gorgeous children! Well done Zoe and hubby!" marveled an admirer. "Most gorgeous kids ever," praised another fan.

"Her genes won by a landslide," observed an Instagram follower. "They stole her whole face," mentioned an observer.

A fellow fan highlighted, "Of course her family would be stunning, just like their momma! Congratulations." Complimenting the entire family, an admirer said, "They all have such beautiful hair."

While Saldaña and Perego's beautiful boys have been seen by the public from time to time, the doting parents still hold their sons' privacy in the highest regard.

Back in 2017, Saldaña spoke to People magazine about the matter during an interview she did at a press event for her partnership with Japan's All Nippon Airways.

"Marco and I have a great deal of respect for the privacy of our kids, they're dependent on us so they're not in a position to make choices for themselves. We have to choose for them and part of that is giving them the anonymity that they need so that they can feel safe and not aware of anything around them," divulged Saldaña.

She then noted how traumatizing it could potentially be for a child to have a camera in their face, especially when they don't know why or what's going on.

Saldaña added, "This is the path that we've chosen, we have to wait for their choices to be heard so in the meantime, we need to protect their environment and we're all about that."

In another interview from October 2023, Saldaña spoke about her kids again. This time, she focused on how she and Perego raise Cy, Bowie, and Zen, noting how she and her husband emphasize the importance of the boys honoring themselves and their femininity.

Contextualizing why the parents choose to teach their kids to embrace and celebrate their feminine sides, Zoë Saldaña reflected how society tends to encourage men to be tough and suppress their emotions.

When such teachings are carried on for a long time, this can lead male individuals to completely cut themselves off from their feelings.

"We definitely understood the assignments and accepted it knowing that we were raising boys during a time when women's movements are so important," disclosed Saldaña on the matter.

Outside of respecting their privacy and raising them, Saldaña also balances being a hands-on mom with a busy work schedule.

She reflected on this balance in a post she shared on October 15. Alongside an adorable photo of her playing with two of her kids while dressed up as her character Gamora from "Guardians of the Galaxy," Saldaña captioned, "Being on the road is hard when you're away from your children."

She continued, "To all the moms out there making the ultimate sacrifice for their dreams. Those dreams are their's [sic] too! Trust the process… #momlife."