Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://mypepack.gophersport.com/video/?vid=4MmoPXnL832 Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Zoe Saldañas 2026 TIME100 Gala Toast [1wtyt05pfip] Health Updated on August 11, 2026 EDT — Published on August 11, 2026 EDT Saldaña, an Academy Award winner and the highest grossing actor in cinematic history, honored her family history in her toast—the final one of the evening. The Avatar star recalled how she grew up with her mother and her sister in New York City, in Jackson Heights—something that was only possible because her family immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic. “My grandmother arrived in 1961 with very little except her courage, her faith, and a vision for something better,” Saldaña said. “She was our matriarch, our anchor and our compass.” She went on to say that her experience being first generation and bilingual was not unique in New York City, nor in America more broadly—a truth that she called “profoundly powerful.” Read more: Subscribe to TIME’s YouTube channel ►► Subscribe to TIME: Get the day’s top headlines to your inbox, curated by TIME editors: Follow us: X (Twitter): Facebook: Instagram: FlDeE6jo1XK Ca5Gw5Fz67D U2hCCIe2seG xB6zCdjgfUO biyxTl9Rgbg APPt9x6aJsO
Saldaña, an Academy Award winner and the highest grossing actor in cinematic history, honored her family history in her toast—the final one of the evening. The Avatar star recalled how she grew up with her mother and her sister in New York City, in Jackson Heights—something that was only possible because her family immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic. “My grandmother arrived in 1961 with very little except her courage, her faith, and a vision for something better,” Saldaña said. “She was our matriarch, our anchor and our compass.” She went on to say that her experience being first generation and bilingual was not unique in New York City, nor in America more broadly—a truth that she called “profoundly powerful.” Read more: Subscribe to TIME’s YouTube channel ►► Subscribe to TIME: Get the day’s top headlines to your inbox, curated by TIME editors: Follow us: X (Twitter): Facebook: Instagram: FlDeE6jo1XK Ca5Gw5Fz67D U2hCCIe2seG xB6zCdjgfUO biyxTl9Rgbg APPt9x6aJsO