Zoe Saldana: 'Female-led movies need support from women'

Zoe Saldana insists it's the responsibility of women cinemagoers to support female-led movies to help improve gender equality in film.

The Guardians of the Galaxy star, like many other actresses, has been vocal about equal female representation in Hollywood. Zoe herself has experienced being the only female on a set or being offered the part of a love interest rather than a lead.

While their conversation is marginally helping improve the gender balance, she insists they also need the support from women audiences to make female-led movies a success at the box office, which will encourage Hollywood executives to make more.

"The responsibility can't only fall on women in the public eye. The audience have the power," Zoe told Net-A-Porter's The Edit magazine. "They are the ones buying the tickets to all these man-made movies. There are films being made by female directors, by female writers, with lead female roles, but women are not going to those movies. We're going with our boyfriends to hold their... hands to go see a movie that we couldn't care less about!

"I couldn't care less about male-driven stories and war movies, not because I'm not an intellectual individual, but because I want to know what's happening to a woman."

Zoe has plenty of experience working on predominantly male sets, including the Star Trek movies, and while she is used to being the only girl in the room, she admits it's still lonely.

The mother of twins has previously spoken out about the issues of childcare and equal pay because she thinks women in power should help others by voicing these issues.

"The high road is speaking up and saying, 'What you are doing is unfair. I'm not asking you to idolise me, I'm asking you to pay me equally, because you always come to me whenever you need me for a press tour!'" she added.