Movie fans almost didn't know the name Zoe Saldana.
The actress, known for blockbuster films like "Avatar," "Guardians of the Galaxy" and action flick "Columbiana," has revealed that she was advised early in her career to change her name.
"When I did 'Center Stage,' I remember being discouraged at the time by my management to use my name," shared Saldana, referring to her 2000 debut.
But Passaic, N.J. The Latina-born actress was quick to note that the intention was not misplaced.
“[It] never occurred to me to stop being who I was. They celebrated who I was,” he clarified in an Entertainment Weekly interview published Friday.
The 43-year-old former L'Oreal spokesperson continued that her manager at the time was a former singer and a ballroom artist who changed her name when she was a teenager.
"She said this is what everyone else does," shared Saldana, also mentioning that this kind of advice wouldn't be great these days.
The "Nina" star added, "Today that's advice we take for granted but that was what she wanted for me, but I still knew I liked my name."
On the other hand, the married mother of three got some "really powerful" advice from Steven Spielberg, who directed her in "The Terminal."
Saldana said that Spielberg told her, "In order to know where you're going, you must always know where you've come from."
Currently starring in Netflix's "The Adam Project," now said she's a mom she loves to extend herself to women in the film industry.
“I can only share with you my experiences, my failures and then my successes in the hope that they will inspire you to make good decisions for yourself. I've always done that in the last five, six or seven years.