Now streaming on Netflix, The Adam Project is a fun, high-concept genre film that harkens back to Steven Spielberg's classic productions from the 1980s. The movie stars Ryan Reynolds as Adam Reed, a fighter pilot who travels back in time in order to save the future. Coming back from the year 2050, Adam enlists the help of his younger self on a desperate mission. Along the way, the two Adams cross paths with Big Adam's wife Laura, played by Zoe Saldana.
Screen Rant spoke to Saldana about what advice she'd give to her younger self, tackling such an action-heavy role in a short period of time, and her work on the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy 3.
This movie definitely made me feel like, “What would I do if I could go back and visit my younger self?” And I was thinking about it, and it's actually the 20th anniversary of one of my favorite movies, Crossroads. What you would tell Zoe on that set?
Zoe Saldana: Oh God. What would I tell her? “Don't be so nervous.” I remember at that time, I was just so nervous because I was getting to do these projects for the very first time, and I was getting to travel to these places for the very first time. So there was a lot of nervousness that I felt, and always having to cover that up to look like I've been here before. But I would just tell her, "Don't be so nervous. You belong."
I love that. I need that advice. You shot [The Adam Project] for six days, but your scenes are some of the most action-packed. What was it like for you to come in and be thrown into this action-packed world?
Zoe Saldana: It was thrilling, to say the least. It was also very nerve-wracking because I did two weeks of quarantine, and only had one day of rehearsal and not even the full day. I only had an hour and a half to rehearse what we were going to do. Thankfully, I had an amazing stunt woman who did all the heavy lifting, but I definitely had to do a lot of the work in a time where I was the least in shape. 2020 was a year that hit all of us. Everybody fell off the wagon, I feel, in many ways. I was just like, "Ah!" My knees. My hips. I just felt my body. And I did it. I managed to get away with it because I've always been an athlete. But I remember, I started getting back into my training right after I wrapped that movie. I'm like, "I am going back because I don't ever want to hear my hips cracking this way ever."
I know what you mean. I was the same way. I'm loving all your posts from the set of Guardians, by the way, but I'm terrified! I talked to James Gunn, he's like, "It is a heavy shoot because of the subject matter." How's it going? How are you guys feeling on that set?
Zoe Saldana: I have to say we're dealing with a lot of adversities, which is COVID and scheduling and things like that. But when we're there, we're having such a wonderful time, you know? It's a bittersweet moment because it is our understanding that this will be the last Guardians of the Galaxy. So it's bitter in that sense, but it's sweet because we are all very grateful to have lived this journey together and James Gunn really is giving us a beautiful ending, and this story is really compelling. I think it's going to be the best one yet. We're having a blast, but then again, it's just not easy to shoot a Guardians movie. There's a lot of action. There's a lot of dust. There's a lot of makeup, endless hours of makeup, but the end result is so worth it.
