Who Is Zoe Saldaña’s Husband? All About Marco Perego-Saldaña

Zoe Saldaña is an unstoppable powerhouse. Starring in multiple franchises, the Oscar winner is a modern star in every sense of the word. From Avatar to Star Trek to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and even the Taylor Sheridan empire, Saldaña is everywhere.

But she’s not just a hustling movie star. As evidenced by her roles, and especially in Avatar: Fire and Ash, Saldaña has deep family values and talks often about her private role as a mother. Here’s what to know about Saldaña’s family, including her husband and three kids.

Zoe Saldaña’s Husband Is Marco Perego-Saldaña

Since 2013, Saldaña’s been married to Marco Perego, who later added Saldaña to his last name. (This is a bit like John Lennon changing his name to John Ono Lennon after he married Yoko Ono.

Marco is originally from Italy and wanted to pursue a career as a soccer player. But after suffering an injury, he relocated to Brazil to pursue his career as an artist. Eventually, he found himself in New York City, living in Spanish Harlem. In 2002, as he later revealed to the New York Observer, he was doing anything to get by: “busboy, waiter, teach soccer,” he said in 2017.

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How did Zoe Saldaña Meet Marco Perego?

Zoe and Marco’s meet-cute happened on an airplane ride, very early in the morning, to New York City. In fact, as she later recalled, she hadn’t even seen his face when she realized she was about to meet someone special.

“I just saw him from behind. It was 6:30 in the morning, I was on a flight to New York,” Saldaña told USA TODAY in 2015. “And I can’t even describe to you, it was a vibration. He turned in that moment, because he felt the vibration as well.”

The courtship was very, very short, as both knew right away they wanted to tie the knot, even though both previously had considered never getting married at all.

The Saldaña Family

The Saldañas have three children together: twins Cy Arido and Bowie Ezio (11), both born in 2014, one year after her marriage to Marco Perego. In 2017, Saldaña and Marco welcomed a third son, Zen Anton Hilario (8).

Saldaña has often spoken about how being a parent has informed her acting, and recently told Men’s Journal that her connection with Avatar co-star Sam Worthington was connected to them both being parents.

“In addition to playing parents on screen, we both have three boys back at home, so our parental instincts are totally in sync,” Saldaña revealed. “We understand the need to protect our kids and family—when you have children of your own, their lives take precedence over your own. And I think that’s why audiences find these two characters so relatable.”

Avatar: Fire and Ash is in theaters now.