Zoe Saldana [VIDEO] Actress Almost Said 'No' to 'Star Trek,' Addresses 'Avatar' Meltdown and Nina Simone Controversy

Zoe Saldana has become a household name for her role as Uhura in Star Trek, but she almost passed on the opportunity according to a recent interview. Apparently, when she was working on Avatar she did not want to take on another project so soon. You might remember that she reportedly had a meltdown as a result of Avatar and after being cast as Nina Simone, too. Saldana addressed all of these issues recently.

In a recent interview with Latina Magazine, Saldana opened up about being cast in the Star Trek films:

"I think I was just a little beside myself because after the treat and the gift of booking Avatar and being in the middle of shooting, to be able to then do another great movie with another great filmmaker back to back - I was a little overwhelmed,"

Saldana admitted that she was unsure about taking the role and said she was thinking, "Maybe I should just take some time off and focus and just rest." Luckily, here management team along with her mother swayed her in towards the movie.

"My mom is a Trekkie, and my team was like, 'Zoe, are you stupid? Don't let fear immobilize you."

The 34-year-old actress says her management told her:

"This is an amazing opportunity to step into the shoes of an iconic character in an iconic series and it's in space you're a sci-fi buff."

"And I was like, 'Oh my God, who am I kidding? Absolutely. I'll totally do it'," Zoe admitted.

Here is a video clip of Zoe talking about her next film:

Star Trek Into Darkness will have Saldana reprising her role as Uhura and it is set for release in May.

You might remember some rumors about Zoe having a meltdown after filming Avatar and then again after stirring up some controversy for being cast as Nina Simone in a biopic about the singer. Apparently, a lot of Simone fans feel that Saldana is too pretty to play the singer. Either way, Zoe says these meltdown rumors were "completely blown out of proportion."