On 3 May, the always-incredible Zoe Saldana was presented with her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame – and she found the experience incredibly overwhelming.

Addressing the fact that it took her a very long time to find box office popularity, the actress said: “It’s taken me a year to digest it and it’s finally sinking in that this recognition is really important for someone like me. Because all I know how to do is just work like everybody else around me. I believed I could, and to be recognized for that means much more than what I want to acknowledge.

“According to mainstream America, I fit the profile of a person that would have gotten lost in a broken system,” says Saldana. “If I had ever surrendered to the impossibilities that were given to me, I don’t think I would have ever been in The Terminal, Drumline and Avatar.”

She added: “Science fiction is a universe where a person like me who is unimaginable is imaginable by so many filmmakers like J.J. Abrams and James Cameron and James Gunn.

“I got to really flourish in this genre. I got to be brave and I got to be strong and I got to play characters that weren’t only the daughter, the wife, the girlfriend. I was a warrior and I was relevant to the storyline, and I’m very proud of the path that I’ve chosen for myself by avoiding falling into stereotypical boxes.”

During her acceptance speech, Saldana also thanked her husband, Marco Perego, for their three boys.

“You are my everything. Every day you remind me to appreciate life’s journey. You keep me grounded. And you help me slow down when I need to take in a moment. You keep yearning to continue making art. You’re that voice in my heart that keeps telling me mend your life, love what you do and do what you love. So thank you, I’m taking this moment in,” she said.

“But you what makes me most excited when I wake up? The three masterpieces that we have created: Zen, Cy and Bowie. Mama te quiere, I love you,” the proud mom concluded.

Everyone needs to read Mila Kunis’ epic tribute to her BFF Zoe Saldana