Check out Zoe Saldana‘s FULL magazine shoot and additional excerpts from the premiere issue of Cosmopolitan for Latinas!

On what it was like growing up in the Dominican Republic: “My sisters and I would run through fields looking for these wildflowers nicknamed muerte en vida. The were like Venus flytraps because they would close themselves when you walked past. It was like a bit of magic.”

On being raised by her mom after her father died in a car accident: “She loved us so much that sometimes it was difficult for her to watch her kids do crazy stuff like lock yourself in the bathroom and shave your eyebrows off, just to paint them back on again.”

On being a proud, powerful Latina woman: “People think of Latina women as being fiery and fierce, which is usually true. But I think the quality that so many Latinas possess is strength. I’m very proud to have Latin blood.”

On choosing the right roles: “As a woman I always want to find roles that are empowering, not just soccer moms or girlfriends or victims.”

     

Check out the behind the scenes video of Cosmopolitan for Latinas’ first-ever cover shoot with the gorgeous and talented Zoe Saldana below