Zoe Saldana: 'It's Very Hard Being a Woman in a Man's World'

Zoe Saldana strikes a pose on the cover of Manhattan magazine’s December 2013 issue.

Here’s what the 35-year-old actress had to share with the mag:

On believing in gender equality: “It’s very hard being a woman in a man’s world, and I recognized it was a man’s world even when I was a kid. It’s an inequality and injustice that drove me crazy, and which I always spoke out against- and I’ve always been outspoken.”

On selecting movie roles: “I’m known for being selective in part I either pick or pursue, and what matters most is that they be good female roles where the character isn’t cardboard or objectified, and where there’s real substance. No generic girlfriend or wife, and no sexy bombshell. Enough of that already!”

On landing her breakout role in 2000′s Center Stage: “I heard about it, auditioned, and… Wow, Nicholas Hytner [the director] cast me. Of course it helped I had a background in ballet.”