'Guess Who': Zoe Saldaña

In the new comedy "Guess Who," Zoe Saldaña plays a young woman bringing her new fiancé home to meet her parents.

It will be a bigger surprise than the fiancé, Simon, played by Ashton Kutcher, expects.
Her father, Percy Jones (Bernie Mac), has envisioned her boyfriend to be a dazzling combination of Denzel Washington, Colin Powell and Tiger Woods. And despite Simon's attempt to make a good impression, he finds himself undermined by his father-in-law to be.

Working with Mac, Kutcher and director Kevin Rodney Sullivan was a wonderful experience, Saldaña tells The Early Show co-anchor Hannah Storm.

The director allowed the performers to bring in their own point of view about bi-racial relationships, she says.

"I'm from New York, so this is not something that's common for me," Saldaña explains. "My family is very, very diverse and very mixed, and it is not an issue in my house. I was very open about that. This is what I'm putting on my table: I don't know about this topic, and I would love to explore it and take this message out -- that was the sole purpose for everybody. We have a common message; let's treat with respect; and at same time let's laugh."

Not only does Saldana's character, Theresa, surprise her parents with the fact that she's getting married, but she shares her room with her fiancé, a theme the actress says speaks to a lot of people.

"The father learning to let go of his daughter and acknowledging that he is not the only man in her life" is a universal topic, she says.

The up-and-coming Dominican beauty recently had standout roles in "Pirates of the Caribbean" and Steven Spielberg's "The Terminal." And now she has five films in the works.

About Zoe Saldaña:

• Born in New Jersey on June 19, 1978
• Attended dance school in the Dominican Republic.
• Joined performance troupes in New York City, including FACES Theater Co., a group presenting improvisational and educational skits for teens, and New York Youth Theater, where her role in the chorus of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" caught the attention of an agent.
• In 1999, had an early TV role on an episode of the popular New York City-filmed series, "Law & Order." The following spring, made her breakthrough with a featured role in the ensemble of the dance-themed drama "Center Stage," chronicling the struggles of a group of students at the American Ballet Academy.
• In 2001, played the pragmatic and somewhat duplicitous best friend of the pined-after Allison (Melissa Sagemiller) in the teen romantic comedy, "Get Over It."
• In 2002, portrayed one of a trio of best friends embarking on a life-altering road trip in "Crossroads," a routine coming-of-age feature remarkable only as the vehicle in which pop sensation Britney Spears made her feature debut.
• Was featured in the hip-hop action drama "Snipes" (screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2001), co-starring another pop sensation, crossover rapper Nelly.
• In 2002, was featured in the independent music-themed drama "Drumline."
• In 2003, had brief but amusing and enticing role in "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," as the pirate wench Anamaria.
• And in 2004, was showcased in director Steven Spielberg's "The Terminal" as an airport security worker who is wooed by a co-worker (Diego Luna) through an unlikely ally, a stranded immigrant (Tom Hanks) forced to reside in the terminal.
• Will next star in the upcoming teen comedy "Dirty Deeds," an independent feature co-starring Milo Ventimiglia and Lacey Chabert; "Constellation," directed by Jordan Walker Pearlman; "Haven," co-starring Orlando Bloom; and "Temptation," a rock/pop musical version of "Faust."
• Saldaña is also set to star in the Spanish film, "La Maldicion del Padre Cardona," co-starring Anthony Alvarez, as well as the title role in the drama "Lucy," which is loosely based on the novel by Jamaica Kincaid.