Zoe Saldana On Why She Quit Ballet As A Teen: 'I Was Dying Inside'

She may have played a tough-as-nails ballerina in her first big movie “Center Stage” (2000), but in the premiere issue of “Cosmopolitan for Latinas” on newsstands May 1st, Zoe Saldana explains why she quit ballet cold turkey in real life.

“I had to quit ballet because it felt like a part of me was dying inside,” the former teen ballerina tells the magazine. “It takes a lot of courage to face up to things you can’t do because we feed ourselves so much denial … In dance you use every party of your body except your voice. I wanted to start acting because I wanted to use my voice," she says.

The half-Puerto Rican, half-Dominican actress also tells the magazine what it means to be Latina. “People think of Latina women as being fiery and fierce, which is usually true,” the “Avatar” star says. “But I think the quality that so many Latinas possess is strength. I’m very proud to have Latin blood."

Saldana, who is currently filming the untitled "Star Trek" sequel, is modeling a $2,295 Dolce & Gabbana dress and $1,245 Christian Louboutin shoes on the cover, in addition to a $120 Gerard Yosca cuff and $240 Alex Monroe earrings.

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