The actress talks style influences and fashion ancestry.

(Photo: Gotham Magazine)

For the September 2012 issue of Gotham magazine, Zoe Saldana is all about fashion. The actress sports a satin Givenchy jumpsuit on the cover and inside talks about how her ancestors were involved in the fashion industry.

"My grandmother and great-grandmother were seamstresses their whole lives, so when my grandmother moved to New York in the '60s, she worked for design houses throughout the city,"Saldana told Gotham. "She really loved fabrics and textiles, so it was natural to my family. Fashion wasn't like a religion to us, but it is in my ancestry. It was never about luxury; it was about art."  

The busy star is in the upcoming film The Words, just finished wrapping up the sequel to Star Trek, and is currently being criticized for being chosen to represent Nina Simone in the jazz legend's biopic. Many hoped actress Adepero Oduye would be the one to replace Mary J. Blige in the movie, who had moved on due to funding issues. Production is set to begin Oct. 16 in Los Angeles.