Zoe Saldana and Marco Perego’s love story is one for the books.
Not just because it is straight out of a romance novel but also because they set incredible
examples when it comes to parenting and breaking stereotypes.
This couple is known for their unconventional lifestyle.
They have been married since 2013, which also happens to be the year they first met, and
their first meeting is also as unusual as it comes.
Zoe Saldana is an American-Dominican model, dancer, and award-winning actress and a star
of several blockbuster movies which include Star Trek), Avatar, Guardians of the Galaxy,
and Death at a Funeral among others.
She is easily recognizable even without her blue alien make-up from Avatar or her green
make-up from Guardians of the Galaxy… is it just us or does she play a lot of colorful
aliens?
Anyways, her husband Marco Perego might not be as recognizable.
Perego was a promising football player that earned a spot on Venice’s professional team
at age 17.
Sadly, an injury took him out of the game at 21, and even though he moved to Brazil
to try and recover and play there, he eventually abandoned the sport and moved to New York
to follow his next dream: being an artist.
His big break came after film producer Gilda Moratti bought one of his paintings.
“One day what happened was, I come to her, and I say, 'Listen, look at my work, tell
me what you think.
If it is a joke, I will try to find something else,” he recalled.
But Moratti saw his potential, and after selling his first painting, things quickly escalated
for Perego.
As word swirled around the art community about Perego’s works, he started to bump his prices,
selling pieces for between $15,000 to $30 000 a pop.
Now he is a well-renowned artist and is somewhat of a household name in the art world.
Saldana had known of Perego as she was familiar with his work… but they never actually met.
Then in 2013, the two were on a flight at 6:30 in the morning to New York and before
Zoe even saw his face, she knew he was the one for her.
“I just saw him from behind.
And I can't even describe it to you, it was a vibration.
He turned in that moment because he felt the vibration as well,” she recalled about their
meeting.
Could it get any more serendipitous?
Saldana didn’t believe in love at first sight or fate because she is an extremely
logical person that needs an explanation.
But she didn’t need an explanation for that, “I didn't need to explain that.
It was enough that I felt it.
And that was it,” she said.
After her first meeting with Marco, all logic and explanation flew right out the plane window.
“From the moment I met my husband, we were together.
We knew.
I didn’t need to do the ABCs, I did what my heart said and what my heart felt.
It was too hard to explain when we felt something so intensely.
I wasn’t going to try it out and see if it works.
No, I felt it.
I went with the feeling," she said.
That instant connection and feeling of knowing they were meant to be together meant the couple
worked fast.
They secretly tied the knot in England, so no one knew about it until three months after
the fact.
As soon as the couple decided they were going to get married, they didn’t wait and got
married three weeks later which was just a couple of months after they met.
A few months after the wedding, Perego was seen sporting a tattoo of Zoe’s face on
his arm.
Sheesh, talk about commitment!
Marco took it one step further to show how committed he was to his wife and decided he
was going to take her last name.
That’s right!
He became Marco Perego Saldana and she also took his name and became Zoe Saldaña-Perego!
The move caused a heated debate on social media about men who refuse to take their wives’
last names because they’re afraid their “legacy” will disappear with it.
Zoe was worried about exactly this kind of backlash and tried to talk her husband out
of the decision.
“I told him, ‘If you use my name, you’re going to be emasculated by your community
of artists, your Latin community of men, by the world.
But Marco just looks up at me and says, ‘Ah, Zoe, I don’t give a shit.’”
The actress also addressed the controversy with a Facebook post where she encouraged
men to think outside the box and redefine masculinity.
She also went on to say that men will not cease to exist by taking their partner’s
surname but will rather be remembered as a man who stood by change.
Their ground-breaking lifestyle doesn’t end there though.
The couple welcomed twin boys Cy ( and Bowie () in 2014, and son Zen in 2016.
The pair have agreed to raise their sons in a gender-neutral environment to break the
stereotypes of what men or women should or could do.
They created a gender-neutral environment by including toys for both boys and girls
in their home.
Zoe and Marco also make sure their kids can see them engaging in activities that would
usually be targeted as something only one gender can do.
She will put the TV together and fix things that break sometimes and her husband will
cook and clean.
Teaching their sons not to conform to gender stereotypes has been a treat for the couple.
They love that it allows their boys to be vulnerable and sensible and not just let them
fight physically because “boys will be boys”.
Those kinds of terms don’t exist in their home, and neither do terms like “Daddy’s
little girl” and “Mama’s boys”.
The actress is also very protective of her and her family’s privacy.
She doesn’t want her children to be exposed to the stress that is caused by the media
at such a young age.
Shortly after Zoe and Marco were married, news of her pregnancy was leaked.
She addressed the news head-on with a tweet that read, “I would like to thank all the
f--king media for invading our privacy."
She wants to protect her privacy for her children’s sake because they don’t understand why there
are cameras in their faces or why people are always trying to tug and pull at their parents.
They want their children to reach a stage where they are starting to become curious
naturally and organically and then they will be able to explain it to their kids.
“It all has to do with respecting the privacy of our family members because they’re too
young.
I realized through the years of being in this business that the only way to maintain some
kind of sanity is to protect that which is most dear to you,” she said.
The actress has many controversial ways of doing things and many normal ways.
One of her more normalized views is that she doesn’t remain friends with her exes even
if they are A-listers she is cast with.
Given how happy Saldana seems with Perego-Saldana, can you blame her for not wanting to keep
in touch with her exes?
Saldana’s exes include Keith Britton and Bradley Cooper and she had a revelation in
those relationships and that was not to settle.
Although the actress still kept her mentality of keeping her relationships private, even
with her exes, she did divulge a little in an interview.
Although she did not name Cooper, we can only assume it was him as she said just after they
broke up that if you’re not happy with a person you should leave.
She also said, "I have been in relationships where a man has disrespected me, and I don't
need to be friends with that man anymore.
I don't want to be the one going, 'I'm cool because I'm friends with all my exes.'
There's a reason why you're called an ex.
I crossed you off my list.
You cross a line; you need to know that you're going to walk this earth knowing that there's
an individual who has no respect for you."
You go, Zoe!
Although she isn’t friends with her former flame, Cooper and Saldana are prominent players
in Guardians of the Galaxy—and yes, they're friendly on set.
But Zoe is sure to keep all of her attention on her husband.
It’s almost a decade into their marriage, and Marco and Zoe couldn’t be happier.
They’re continually supporting each other in their endeavors and work to be strong and
kind human beings.
Perego-Saldana isn’t very active on social media, but he never hesitates to put a doting
post about how proud he is of his wife.
He’s also supportive in ways beyond her professional accomplishments.
He has been a constant supporter of her humanitarian efforts, especially during the #MeToo movement,
joining affiliated groups and having conversations with her about how men can make positive change.
“My husband has been an inspiration in this whole thing.
The conversations we’ve been having, safely and intimately, have been evolving and it’s
been very rewarding.
He is part of a #MeToo group.
We must broaden the narrative of #MeToo,” she said.
She also made a precious Valentine’s Day post about how in love she is with her husband
and how proud she is of him, saying “My Valentine.
He can juggle three children, a mercurial wife, his work, the house, and the weight
of the world in the same way he kicks this ball.
After 8 Valentine’s days together, you still manage to take my breath away just by walking
into the room."
How cute is that?
It’s possible that Zoe will reveal more about her marriage once her children get a
little older.
Until then, it’s likely she’ll continue to dodge the celebrity news columns as she
strives for privacy.
But from what we can see, this couple is going places together.
They have undeniable love, respect, and trust for each other as well as the most gorgeous
little family.