Zoe Saldana stars in 'Guardians of the Galaxy;' says she grew up in a sci-fi family

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Taking on "out of this world" roles is nothing new to actress Zoe Saldana. The star of both the "Avatar" and "Star Trek" franchises has now launched herself into the Marvel universe with "Guardians of the Galaxy."

Saldana stars as "Gamora," a woman from an alien world who's not afraid to kick some butt and ends up joining the "Guardians of the Galaxy."

Saldana says she doesn't purposely seek out these physically demanding roles.

"There are not a lot of actresses out there who are physically able to do the things that I can because of my athletic background," Saldana told ABC7. "I'm happy that I'm able to utilize that into my art."

But it's not just the physical part of the roles that attracts Saldana. She admits to growing up in what she calls a "sci-fi" household.

"It's much more open, it's much more creative, because it's so challenging," she said. "You're working with filmmakers that are very well trained and very well prepared, but also capable of imagining the unimaginable. I like being around people like that."

"Guardians of the Galaxy" is rated PG-13 and is in theaters Friday, August 1st.