Podcast Summary: The Run-Through with Vogue

Episode: Zoe Saldaña on Avatar, Her Sons Meeting the Pope, and Filming Lioness

Date: December 18, 2025
Hosts: Chloe Malle and Chioma Nnadi
Guests: Zoe Saldaña; Vogue editors Taylor Antrim and Sam Sussman

Overview

In this episode of The Run-Through with Vogue, hosts Chloe Malle and Chioma Nnadi discuss the latest happenings in fashion before welcoming editors Taylor Antrim and Sam Sussman for a deep-dive conversation with actress Zoe Saldaña. Saldaña talks about her work on the third "Avatar" film, her intense role in the television series "Lioness," balancing her family and career, the power of fandom, and the unforgettable experience of her sons meeting the Pope. The conversation blends playful banter, insightful takes on style, and heartfelt reflections on personal growth and cinematic storytelling.

Fashion and Pop Culture Catch-Up (00:36–12:49)

"Lioness Heads" and Pop Culture Tangents

• The hosts joke about being obsessed with "Lioness," which sparks confusion with England's women's soccer team—an example of their friendly banter (00:38–01:24).
• Chloe mentions Zoe Saldaña is on the cover of Vogue Mexico and introduces her big year: "I always wonder if Zoe ever thought she would be blue for this long. I mean, it is, like, 20 years of being painted cerulean." (Chloe, 00:58)

Hot Takes on Dior Prefall and Other Collections

• High praise for Dior Prefall's new direction: "I felt like you can see that Jonathan is beginning to develop a language already for Dior and his Dior woman...This, like, denim, I guess they're jeans that look like a ball skirt. Incredible." (Chioma, 03:33)
• Analysis of how Alessandro Michele brings new life to Valentino's Rockstud and how Erdem’s prefall dazzled with embellishment.
• Commentary on celebrity style, including Apple Martin in her mother's 1990s Calvin Klein dress and Rihanna pushing grocery carts in stilettos: “She literally went to the grocery store in stilettos and a full look.” (Chioma, 10:45)

Personal Holiday Plans

• Brief personal updates about holiday and New Year’s travel, building to the introduction of Zoe Saldaña's interview.

Interview: Zoe Saldaña in the Vogue Offices (13:38–42:39)

Filming "Lioness" and What Draws Her to Characters (14:01–17:46)

• Saldaña is currently filming Season 3 of "Lioness" in Texas and praises Taylor Sheridan’s prophetic writing:
  • “I met with Taylor Sheridan, I think it was in 2018. And I really liked his writing... Well, during the pandemic, he calls me and I’m like, well, the world is ending and you have a pilot you want me to read. I’m OK. But I couldn’t put it down.” (Zoe, 14:30)
• Discusses preparing physically and emotionally for roles, especially as Jo, her character:
  • "Having to answer for other people’s lives 24/7 is like an impossible task. And she does it." (Zoe, 14:54)
  • She consults with real military personnel to find accuracy and nuance.

Memorable Moment:

• The hosts gush about Saldaña’s “high performance yelling”: "No one does high performance yelling like you do on this show... More of that, please." (Taylor, 16:47)

On Career Momentum, Pausing, and Family (18:00–22:44)

• Saldaña reflects on a career built on relentless energy, but now prioritizes pausing for her family:
  • “I'm a mother of three... My family life is part of my art... That means when I’m not working, my social life as a public figure does diminish.” (Zoe, 18:35)
• She shares about missing her son’s birthday for the first time, and the guilt that came with it:
  • “It’s the only birthday that I’ve ever missed, and I know it’s the only one I will ever, ever miss.” (Zoe, 20:00)

Quote:

• On aging and shifting priorities: “The things that really interest me are much more at home and sleeping. Having a good night's sleep and waking up super early and getting ahead of the day is much more important for me than to feel like I missed out at whatever event...” (Zoe, 18:35)

Filming Avatar: Evolution from Experiment to Epic (22:45–28:55)

• Asked if she knew what she was signing up for with "Avatar’s" decades-long span, Zoe laughs:
  • “Did you expect to be blue for so long? Did you know what you were signing up for?” (Sam, 22:59)
  • “No. What a gift. The first one felt like such an experiment... it was like we were just shooting the rehearsal... That kind of experimentation was incredible. There wasn’t that pressure to really be on. We were playing, we were imagining this place and... it became absolutely real without it ever existing around us.” (Zoe, 23:25–24:21)
• She details how personal experiences as a young mother overlapped with playing a grieving mother in the films, highlighting challenges and emotional depth:
  • “My younger boy had just been born... I’m leaving my home, which is giving me so much joy, and I’m coming to work and living in the skin of a woman that had just buried a child. And that was gnarly.” (Zoe, 27:01)

Notable Insight:

• On the “Avatar” family: “We are working as a family now... There’s a sense of familiarity that makes you feel absolutely and utterly safe to try anything and everything. And if we fail, we fail together and we fail forward.” (Zoe, 25:51)

• On resilience post-loss: “These, the Sully children grow up so fast... they may be the ones that actually end up helping their parents in this film. And that’s what I loved the most about this installment of Avatar—it’s how a family can be resilient and learn to smile and love again after experiencing great loss.” (Zoe, 28:55)

Fandom, Identity, and Style (29:47–39:02)

Thoughts on Fandom and Its Evolution (29:47–32:27)

• Zoe recognizes the enduring positivity in fandom communities, even as cultural cynicism rises:
  • “From where I’m standing, my assessment is that it’s remained consistent... positivity in the energy... We’re living in an era where cynicism is the new trend... Fandom is a safe place where people are just happy to be celebrating something that gives them so much happiness.” (Zoe, 30:25–30:45)
• Explains how fandom is multi-generational and unites families, especially for franchises like "Star Trek."

Style and Working with Petra Flannery (32:32–35:17)

• Saldaña discusses her creative partnership with stylist Petra Flannery:
  • “I’ve been working with Petra Flannery now for almost 20 years. We just have fun, and we love fashion. I’m a granddaughter of a seamstress... You acquire something because it was stitched properly, the embroidery was handmade... It’s something I truly, truly, genuinely respect.” (Zoe, 32:52–33:01)
• Reveals how they build a narrative or alter ego for each press tour’s wardrobe.

Memorable Detail:

• Zoe’s Erdem dress story: The motif was based on a psychic channeling Martian, which delighted the sci-fi star:
  • “It’s like, me, like, I live in space half of the time. I love things like this.” (Zoe, 34:33)

Honoring Her Grandmother and Oscar Win (35:17–38:53)

• Recalls her grandmother’s influence, from fashion to food to living fully:
  • “She would save up her money, and once a month, she would go to this Russian sort of like, delicatessen in Forest Hills, where we grew up in Queens, and she would buy caviar and bring it, and then she would make us those little potatoes or deviled eggs...” (Zoe, 35:35)
• Her Oscars speech for "Emilia Perez" was shaped by dreams of her grandmother and a desire to honor her immigrant heritage.
  • “I wanted to talk about being a first generation daughter of immigrants and how that has always informed who I am. It continuously informs me, it continuously raises me, it helps me sit at a table confidently, but it also helps me confidently stand up and leave that table if it’s not for me.” (Zoe, 38:39)

On Meeting the Pope and Family Experiences (39:02–42:39)

The Story of Meeting the Pope

• Zoe’s sons, raised in a Catholic and Italian-influenced family, wanted to meet the Pope, and thanks to her husband’s connections it happened:
  • “When you’re married into an Italian family, they’re all related. So my husband knows everybody... ‘Let me call somebody.’ And literally... ‘On Tuesday, we’re gonna go see the Pope.’ And I’m like, what? Oh, okay.” (Zoe, 40:12–40:56)
• She describes the experience as deeply moving for her children, who were “gleaming” meeting such a positive leader.
  • “They were so hyper. They were like typical 10 and 8 year old and hyper and can’t focus... And the moment comes and we’re right in front of him. And when you can see that picture, they’re gleaming, they’re just totally [enthralled].” (Zoe, 41:52)

Memorable and Heartfelt Finish

• Zoe says: “I would love to come back again. I love this conversation the best.” (Zoe, 42:25)
• The hosts and Zoe send holiday wishes and share excitement for “Lioness” Season 3: “Put it out into the universe and it’s given you great things so far.” (Sam, 42:35)

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “Having to answer for other people’s lives 24/7 is like an impossible task. And she does it.” (Zoe, 14:54)
• “No one does high performance yelling like you do on this show.” (Taylor, 16:47)
• “My family life is part of my art.” (Zoe, 18:35)
• “We are working as a family now... If we fail, we fail together and we fail forward.” (Zoe, 25:51)
• “Fandom is a safe place where people are just happy to be celebrating something that gives them so much happiness.” (Zoe, 30:45)
• “I wanted to talk about being a first generation daughter of immigrants and how that has always informed who I am.” (Zoe, 38:39)
• “[The boys] were gleaming, they’re just totally [enthralled]. It takes a Pope to impress them.” (Zoe, 41:52–42:09)

Conclusion

This episode offers a dynamic mix of fashion insight, pop culture commentary, and an intimate, wide-ranging interview with Zoe Saldaña. The conversation highlights Zoe’s perspective on balancing high-octane careers and family, processing personal and fictional grief, embracing generational fandom, and finding fulfillment in both work and home. Her warmth, humor, and candor shine throughout—delivering inspiration and relatability to listeners, whether they’re die-hard fandom members or just seeking a deeper look behind the blue "Avatar" face.