Jonathan Mendelsohn
While appearing in People’s 2023 Beautiful Issue, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 star Zoe Saldaña recreated the looks of different beloved characters from several iconic films. Saldaña dressed as and discussed Diana Ross’s Billie Holiday from Lady Sings the Blues, Faye Dunaway’s Bonnie from Bonnie and Clyde, Rita Moreno’s Anita from West Side Story, and Uma Thurman’s Mia Wallace from Pulp Fiction.
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As Billie Holiday, Saldaña appeared in the singer’s signature gold dress and donned a flower in her hair. On both the character and Lady Sings the Blues, Saldaña said, “Who’s not obsessed with Billie Holiday? I remember reading the story of Diana and how much she worked for that part. And when you see the movie, your heart breaks for Billie.”
Zoe Saldaña Dishes Her Thoughts on Iconic Film Characters
While dressed as Dunaway’s Bonnie, Saldaña dons the character’s signature beret and tucked-in yellow shirt. While sharing her thoughts on Bonnie and Clyde, Saldaña said, “But when I saw the movie as a teenager, I was totally transfixed with a woman of her caliber as Bonnie, and [the character] not having a choice and doing an awful lot for love.”
Saldaña looks absolutely stunning as Anita, draped in a captivating purple gown. Rita Moreno’s portrayal of Anita in 1961’s West Side Story seems to be very dear to Saldaña’s heart, with the actress saying, “She’s the EGOT, the GOAT. A Latina who paved such a beautiful road for so many artists of Latin American heritage.”
Saldaña appears as cool as ever dressed as Mia Wallace, the iconic character who famously suffers from a drug overdose and is revived by John Travolta’s character in Pulp Fiction. Saldaña is dressed in Mia’s trenchcoat and performing her signature dance move. While opening up about how she relates to Mia, Saldaña said “[She] was this artist that just wanted to make it and kept talking about all of her auditions. That reminds me of the first years of me trying to break into Hollywood.”
