Why do you think sci-fi as a genre offers women more-interesting characters?

It allows you to experiment with other roles besides someone’s girlfriend, someone’s mother, someone’s wife, someone’s victim. No matter how big or small your part may be, you feel much more relevant in space. You’re helping the whole crew save the day. You’re translating alien languages as opposed to being the one that encourages [someone else] to win the day.

You said you really enjoyed working with directors James Cameron and J.J. Abrams because of the way they portray women.

James Cameron is one of those rare men in the film industry that really isn’t threatened by women. He lets you know with the characters he creates that he does spend time thinking about why women are who they are, why they think the way they do. He is aware of the sacrifices and how hard-working women can be — Sarah Connor [in “The Terminator”], Rose [in “Titanic”].

Jamie Lee Curtis’ role in “True Lies” was a-mazing. She wasn’t a victim. It wasn’t like she found out [mock crying], “My God, you’re, like, a spy. I don’t know what to do.”

She was like, “Oh fuck, my husband’s a spy. I’m gonna fucking spy myself. I’m gonna get to where his mission is. I’m gonna fuck his mission up and I’m gonna tell him, ‘You are in big trouble cuz you lied.’”

I love that. She gets to discover that she is a badass machine and she can save her family just like her man saves every mission he does. I get goose bumps. I really do.

J.J. Abrams — look at the role he created in the new “Star Wars.” It’s through the eyes of a female and we’re not gonna compromise the strength of the movie. We’re not gonna compromise her bravery. It’s like, you guys still have your testosterone-driven PEW! PEW! PEW! [pretends to fire a blaster] and it’s gonna be a girl that’s doing it.

Filmmakers like J.J. Abrams and James Cameron — they’re practicing what they preach, and they’re having their art imitate the life that they see and the utopia they would like to bring to life. And they let you be as collaborative, as suggestive, as opinionated, as passionate…I don’t work to make friends; I don’t work to be liked. I work to bring a character to life, to walk away not feeling that I’m a disappointment in myself. That I gave it my all.

When I’m met on the other side by a filmmaker that sees that, recognizes that and has a duel with me, I feel really seen. I feel like I matter. And for an artist and also for a woman, that sometimes can be everything, because we don’t feel like we matter in a lot of things.

You’ve said your favorite character so far is Neytiri in “Avatar.” What makes her special?

I created this character with James Cameron. He allowed me to add textures to her. There’s the way she would walk — if her tail is this strong, then it’s an extra limb. It’s not just a tail. It’s not gonna just look pretty and be in the background stealing the attention from everything. This tail’s gonna dictate the way that she walks, the way that she moves her neck. And he was like, “Yes, absolutely. Let’s research it. Let’s confirm it. Let’s call a doctor that would let us know that this makes sense.” I loved that. I felt so present when that happened.

And then you’ve been on other sides where you feel like wallpaper [laughs]. And you just go, “OK, even this is a learning experience of what not to continuously represent.” So [for] all those young women out there that are looking up to me — who are 5 today and will be 25 tomorrow — I want to be a part of those elements that form them, that made them feel, “I felt seen, I felt relevant, I felt challenged. And one of those people was this actress named Zoe Saldana, and she did all these roles and all these movies that I really enjoyed. And that’s what I want to be.”

If I do that, then yes, I guess as an artist I will find a way to live forever.