Zoe Saldana won't "rip" her child off her "tit" to go to work

by

Sara McGinnis

posted in Celebrities

Zoe Saldana is adamant she won't be going back to work in a hurry after giving birth. The Avatar actress, who is said to be pregnant with twin boys, has opened up about the support she's been shown as she gears up to mix work and motherhood.

Crediting the producers and creators of her recently projects with being empathetic the mom-to-be told Entertainment Weekly "they’ve been very understanding, especially with what’s happening in my personal life. I’ve gotten nothing but support. To know that we are getting to that place where women can have that support from male driven workforces is -- I have to say, it’s very inspiring."

She then quickly continued, "And also, they don’t have a choice! I’m not going to rip my child off my tit to go work. And if I do that, then maybe you shouldn’t hire me because I am willing to sell anything."

After having a laugh Zoe Saldana added, "It’s nature! Like, you just cannot do it. What kind of mother would I be? There’s no choice. It’s like, 'What, you want me to leave my newborn so that I can work 16 hours on your set? He’s only a month old, are you out of your mind?'

"And the good thing is that half of the people you work with are all parents, and they get it. They probably have strong wives at home that are probably going to look at them going, 'Are you out of your mind?!' See, it’s having strong women around you! Once we all come together, it’s perfect."

Naturally, a bit of debate has been going on about if this actress (whose net worth is estimated to be $8 million) was being insensitive to mothers who don't have a choice about when to return to work. Personally I don't think she meant to be, and in fact was just trying to emphasize the crazy hours stars spend on set, but the "What kind of mother would I be?" line made me cringe.

Surely she meant it as a rhetorical question, but I'll go ahead and give it a shot: Zoe, if you do end up leaving your infant(s) at one month old to return to work you will still be a good mother! You'll be in good company with fellow moms who need to work to make ends meet, and even ones who just -- gasp -- choose to work. There's more than one way to make this motherhood thing happen. You'll be just fine, and so will your darling(s). Things have a way of working out.

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Photo: REX USA/Picture Perfect