-Welcome back to the show.
Congrats on everything. -Thank you.
-I want to talk to you about everything because
I want to know what it even feels like.
You're in these giant movies. -Yeah.
-The biggest movies. I mean, between
Marvel's cinematic universe and "Avatar"...
I mean, "Avatar's" the biggest movie ever made.
-Yes. Yes. -Yeah.
And "Guardians of the Galaxy," I mean, what does it feel like
to be in the biggest -- -I'm pinching myself.
-Yeah. -It's not something that I
picked strategically. -Yeah.
-I just -- I was just very lucky to be picked, to be chosen.
And I gave it 120%.
The fact that these two movies are the most successful ones,
and I'm in them, it's not bad for a girl from Queens.
[ Laughter and applause ]
-Not too shab-- it's not bad at all.
No, but you're so good.
-Thank you. -You're fantastic in it.
You know, I follow you on the socials.
You're fun. And you -- you posted this.
This is from "Guardians of the Galaxy 3."
This is a bunch of you. [ Laughter ]
-Yeah. -How many of you were there
with you -- with you?
-Like, four -- a minimum of four.
It's a lot of me's. -Yeah.
-And the thing is that, these are created --
it's taken out of, like, a cast of my head,
and it's so they can put the wigs on
or any kind of additional prosthetics that go on Gamora.
And -- and sometimes it's just to put her in the background.
Like -- kind of, like, maybe like a "Where's Waldo?"
Like, "Where's Gamora?" I don't know.
[ Laughter ]
-So, like -- so, there's a Gamora sometimes in the scene?
Are you in the scene, or just sometimes there's just a Gamora?
-Sometimes, like, let's say if they're shooting a big
action sequence, and my character is, like,
in the background in certain parts of that set,
they'll just have -- like, they'll just put a head, like,
running back and forth so the computer can sort of track it.
I don't know, guys. It's high technology.
-Yeah, it's high tech-- Yeah.
But I mean, "Guardians 3," this comes out next year, is it?
-Yes, next May. -Next May.
[ Cheers and applause ]
Just so fun.
And so it's really -- it's such a fun ride.
-They're fun, you guys. It is a fun ride.
I've -- I took my boys to Disney earlier this year,
and my older sons are much more, you know, precautious,
and they don't like to do, like, roller coasters.
My little one, his name is Zen.
There's nothing Zen about Zen. [ Laughter ]
Zen got on all the rides.
He was only -- I mean, he's still 5.
-Aww. -And then got on
the Tower of Terror, which is the
"Guardians of the Galaxy" ride.
And -- and I was like, "How was it?"
He goes, "Oh, Mama. I was so scared."
I'm like, "Did you see Mama?" "I don't know.
No, I didn't see you." -No, really?
-I'm like, "Mama was in the ride."
He goes, "You were?" -They have no idea.
-That might be one of the best roller coasters I've ever
been on in -- -They don't think I'm cool
at all, so... -Oh, my gosh!
But between that and also the "Avatar" ride.
-Yeah, I know.
-Do they know that you're that, as well?
-They do, they do. But they -- they are --
My kids are softies.
They don't like to watch things that are too violent.
-Yeah, yeah, yeah. -Yeah, not yet, not yet.
We still have some time. -Yeah, well, you have --
He's 5, and then the other boys?
-They just turned 8 yesterday.
-Ooh. -Yeah.
[ Cheers and applause ]
There's a lot of Legos. -Roblox?
-Yes, a lot of Roblox. -I love Roblox.
-But they don't really play that much on the tablets.
-Yeah? -You know?
-Yeah. -We do a lot of outdoor stuff.
-My kids, either. -Okay.
[ Laughter ] -Yeah, of course.
-But they do watch a lot of Netflix.
-Yeah, yeah. [ Laughter ]
-Wah-wah.
-You know, when I first saw "Avatar" --
I think a lot of people would agree with me --
I'd never seen anything like that in my lifetime.
It was the coolest thing I'd ever seen.
I know James Cameron. We're talking about
how cool this thing is gonna be and different.
And I've seen 3-D movies. When I was growing up,
a 3-D movie was something somebody would be holding,
like, a pool stick, and they'd be like, "Ah, ah, ah!"
And then you're like, "Well, that's 3-D."
And then you see this, and you go,
"Oh, this is the most bizarre thing.
I feel like I'm in this world." -Yeah.
Well, I just -- if I seem a little off and awfully quiet --
I know I'm very talkative -- it's because I just came back
from the screening. I went to see "Avatar" today.
I'm still processing. It's very emotional.
I'm surprised my eyelashes stayed on, you guys.
I was, like -- I was, like, sobbing.
-Good for you! Come on.
-It's really special. It's really --
it's really special. And I can give you, like,
a little hint.
It's about water.
[ Laughter ] -Wow! Oh, my gosh.
[ Applause ]
Wow! We always get the scoop -- -A lot of water.
-We always get the scoop here on "The Tonight Show," guys.
[ Laughter ]
When "Avatar" was first pitched to you, what did they pitch?
'Cause it's such a brand-new world
and new characters and new everything.
-You sound so nice.
Like, it was never pitched to me.
I was pitched for it. Like, and then --
-Oh, really? -Oh, my God, of course.
If I could be so lucky to have somebody like, "Yeah, pitch me.
What's this movie, Jim, about?" [ Laughter ]
-Yeah. -Oh, my God.
-But what did you think it was? Or what did you --
Describe it to me. -I thought --
First, they told me that it was, like, about this robot --
this female robot.
I thought it was like "Alita: Battle Angel."
But it's set, like, in the jungle.
And I was like, "Well, that doesn't really make any sense.
Like, a warrior princess was a robot, like a sentient --"
Like, "What is that?" -Yeah.
-But Mali Finn, who was the casting director at that time,
who was later then -- you know, Margery Simkin took --
took the part of casting it,
they would sometimes just come in and call me.
And I was still living in New York at the time,
and they would put me on tape.
And sometimes it was like, "Bring some tight stuff.
I want you to climb and do some cartwheels."
And I'm like, "Okay." -[ Laughs ]
-So, I would come in, it's like, "Well, we'll just play,"
and they would move all the furniture.
-Well, you have a dance background, right?
-Yeah, yeah. I feel like I was able
to book the part because of that.
And then, one time, they called me in,
and I put myself on tape again for them,
and they were like, "Just make all these sounds."
I'm like, "What kind of sounds?"
[ Tongue rolling sound ]
[ Laughter ] And I'm like, "Well, okay."
-You're like, "What is this movie remotely?"
-And I'm thinking like, "Okay. James Cameron,
a robot warrior princess that's in a jungle,
and I'm doing R, like -- rolling my R's."
I'm like, "I don't know what this is, but I dig it.
I dig it." -Yeah.
Yeah, and then so, you do all that, and you go, "Okay."
And did -- when did you finally get to meet James Cameron?
-They flew me from New York to Los Angeles
and drove me to Lightstorm.
-Now, do you feel good at this point?
Or are you like, "I'm in the running"?
-I mean -- yeah, I'm excited.
But I was always, like, a very happy-go-lucky,
like, a happy girl from Queens, I was like, "Oh, my God.
I'm gonna go meet my idol, like, James Cameron."
-Yeah. -And they lock me in an office,
which was a bit scary. -Yeah.
-And they gave me the script.
And the script was, like, this thick.
-Oh, so this is very private.
They don't let anyone look at this.
-No, no. -That's why you're in this
private office. Oh, I understand.
-And they gave me three hours to read it.
I took six. Because it was just
all the directions describing the whole world
of Pandora was just really bizarre to me and I --
English is not my first language,
so that was a little hard.
And then Jim walks in, and he was so nice.
And then he says, "Are you ready to meet yourself?"
And I was like, "What?" [ Laughter ]
And at that moment, my soul, like, left my body.
-"So, are you ready to meet yourself?"
-Yeah, that's what he told me.
And then he walks me to his office.
I see this big wheel of a ship,
and I had no idea it was the "Titanic" wheel.
I see the arm of the Terminator.
-Oh, my God. -I just -- I was just like,
"Oh, my God. This is --
I'm having an out-of-body experience."
-Exactly, that's his office. -And his office was beautiful
and big and just, like, all these, like, you know,
things that he had kept from all of his films.
And then, on a coffee table was a sculpture
of my character, Neytiri.
And as I'm observing the sculpture,
he's sitting across from me, like, observing me.
And I thought in my mind, like, "That's not weird.
That's not weird." -Yeah, yeah, yeah.
-"Don't act weird." -"It's all -- it's all going
in the movie somehow. It's all going in."
When did you find out that you got the part?
-Like -- like, maybe like a week or two later.
-Do you remember where you were?
-Yes, I was in my apartment in Queens.
-Uh-huh. -Changing my nephew's diaper.
[ Laughter ] -Really?
-Yeah. I had -- I had nanny duties that day.
And my mother walks in, and she go--
with her -- with my cellphone, "Zoe, Zoe, it's --
They say it's James Cameron." [ Laughter ]
And I'm like, "Oh, my God! Okay, hold the baby wipes.
Oh, my God!" -"Hold the diaper!
Hold the phone! Hold the diaper!"
Yeah, you pick up the diaper, "Hello?" Yeah.
-My sister, my mom, and, like, my little nephew's, like,
popping up his face. And I'm like, "Hello?"
And he's like, "Hey, Zoe, it's Jim.
I just wanted to invite you to join us,
and I want you to play Neytiri."
And I still get teary-eyed because it was --
it was definitely, like, a very big opportunity
and a very big dream come true for me.
And then, I didn't need to cry 'cause my mom and my sister
and my nephew were sobbing. [ Laughter ]
I'm like, "Oh, my God!" -We're so happy for you.
Aw, you're awesome.