5 Things You Don't Know About Zoe Saldana

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This Avatar star is currently making headlines for revealing to Allure magazine that she's "open" to being in a relationship with a women -- as well as debuting her latest movie, Star Trek Into Darkness. Here are five things you probably don't know about Zoe Saldana.

1. Born Zoe Yadira Saldana Nazario on June 19, 1978 in Passaic, NJ -- her father is of Dominican descent and her mother is Puerto Rican. 

PICS: Zoe Saldana's Stunning a+ Magazine Pics

2. Her first film role was in the musical drama Center Stage (2000) -- in which she played one of 12 teenage dancers from various backgrounds who enroll at a prestigious New York ballet academy in a bid to become professional dancers.

3. Revealed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that she's often mistaken for actress Thandie Newton -- so much so that even her own mother once confused the two of them.

VIDEO: Zoe Saldana Confirms 'Androgynous' Statement

4. Once divulged to a reporter that while she's "obsessed with wolves," she doesn't care much for lions. "From their social structure to their communities, I think we take more as a human species from wolves than lions," she said. "For me, the lion is such a loser! In the animal kingdom... he sleeps all day, steals from his women and eats his cubs!"

5. To prepare for her role in Avatar, she trained for several months
in archery and the Chinese martial art of Wushu. "It's very artistic -- it's what Jet Li does," she explained to Details magazine.

VIDEO: Bradley Cooper Reveals How Zoe Saldana Changed Words