went viral on TikTok<\/a> and sparked backlash with fans.<\/p>\n\u201cShe\u2019s a what?! She ain\u2019t a racist she is against colonialism,\u201d one fan wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cNah I don\u2019t like calling a character racist against colonizers that destroyed her planet, home, land, village, family and culture,\u201d another fan said.<\/p>\n
Someone else argued, \u201cRacist???? her hate has NOTHING to do with race\u2026.? it\u2019s because she\u2019s sick and tired of her home being attacked and colonised.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201ccalling Neytiri a racist is wild😭 she hates the colonizers and she has every right,\u201d another TikToker stated.<\/p>\nZoe Saldana attends the \u201cAvatar: Fire and Ash\u201d France premiere. \/ SplashNews.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nA different fan called Salda\u00f1a \u201cinsane\u201d for calling Neytiri racist.<\/p>\n
\u201cRacist was not the right word,\u201d another comment read.<\/p>\n
\u201cthis franchise is going in a very concerning direction,\u201d someone else wrote. <\/p>\n
But some fans defended Salda\u00f1a and argued she\u2019s entitled to her description about Neytiri.<\/p>\n
\u201cyall zoe saldana has played neytiri for 18 YEARS she knows her character better than anyone,\u201d one person wrote.<\/p>\nNeytiri (Zoe Saldana) in \u201cAvatar 3.\u201d AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201cYa\u2019ll she literally IS NAYTIRI. You can\u2019t argue when the facts are coming from the direct source,\u201d a different fan said.<\/p>\n
A third TikToker added, \u201cShe\u2019s being really blunt and no bias at all. Respect.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Post has reached out to Salda\u00f1a\u2019s rep for comment.<\/p>\n
Salda\u00f1a, who has been starring in the \u201cAvatar\u201d franchise since 2009, and is signed on for five films total, spoke about the life-changing role in an interview with Deadline<\/a> earlier this year.<\/p>\nZoe Saldana with her \u201cAvatar\u201d director James Cameron. AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSigourney Weaver, Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Britain Dalton, James Cameron, Oona Castilla Chaplin, Bailey Bass, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Jack Champion, David Thewlis and Stephen Lang at the \u201cAvatar: Fire and Ash\u201d premiere in France on Dec. 5. Getty Images for Disney<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201cI was 28 when I did the first movie and I think if all goes to plan, I\u2019m gonna be 53, 54 for the very fifth one and last one. That\u2019s a gift,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a gift to be able to revisit a character that has given me so much. To revisit a place that has been so magical. Not just for me, but for so many people in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re talking about communities in the Amazon were able to see Avatar 1, and they were moved by the stories that Jim [Cameron] was saying and how they felt represented in the story that Jim was conveying,\u201d Salda\u00f1a continued. \u201cThat\u2019s beautiful to be a part of something so impactful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAvatar: Fire and Ash\u201d is in theaters now. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n