Zoe Saldaña is getting high praise from someone who knows her both on and off the screen. As the Oscar winner prepares to collaborate on another film project with her husband, filmmaker and producer Marco Perego, he’s making it clear that her talent remains one of his biggest sources of inspiration.
Speaking with People following a breakout month at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, Perego described Saldaña as “one of the best actors of her generation” while reflecting on what he has learned from watching her work up close.
Perego, who has steadily expanded his filmmaking career in recent years, said Saldaña’s commitment to authenticity has influenced his own approach to storytelling. “I'm trying to spy every secret [from her] as possible,” he said, before explaining that what impresses him most is her pursuit of emotional truth in performance.
He added that she possesses a rare willingness to explore difficult territory as an actor, describing her as “unconventional and very beautiful and very honest.”
The couple, who married in 2013 and have three children together, have already collaborated professionally. Saldaña starred in Perego’s 2023 directorial debut, The Absence of Eden, and another project is now on the horizon.
Perego revealed that Saldaña is attached to star in Still Life, a new film from Academy Award-winning screenwriter Alexander Dinelaris. Perego will serve as a producer alongside Rob Quadrino on the project.
“I'm excited to be one of the producers on that,” Perego said of the film, which will reunite him with Dinelaris, whom he described as both a mentor and close friend.
The latest update comes during a particularly busy stretch for Saldaña. In addition to developing new film projects, she remains one of Hollywood’s most recognizable stars thanks to franchises including Avatar and Guardians of the Galaxy.
She also recently wrapped production on Season 3 of the Paramount+ spy thriller Lioness, where she stars as CIA operative Joe McNamara. The new season completed filming in North Texas earlier this year and is scheduled to premiere on Paramount+ on August 2.
For now, the family is spending time in Italy while Saldaña films the upcoming Netflix movie Positano alongside Matthew McConaughey.
