Meet Zoe Saldaña's Three Kids: Cy, Bowie And Zen

Zoe Saldaña and her husband, Marco Perego Saldaña, have taken an interesting approach to parenting their three boys. The "Emilia Pérez" star and Marco welcomed their first children, twins Cy Aridio and Bowie Ezio, in 2014 and their youngest, Zen Anton Hilario, in 2016. During a 2018 chat with Us Weekly, Zoe shared that they didn't want their sons to grow up thinking that traditional gender roles were set in stone. So, they endeavored to raise them in a "gender neutral environment" where they got to witness their mother doing stereotypically masculine things like fixing broken household appliances and their father taking on more traditionally feminine household chores. Likewise, while speaking to People in 2023, the "Guardians of the Galaxy" star elaborated that she wanted her boys to "honor themselves, their femininity, [and] to celebrate their feminine self as well." 

Additionally, she and her hubby were actively "teaching our little boys to honor women and to celebrate women." If all of that wasn't impressive enough already, Zoe also wanted to raise Cy, Bowie, and Zen to be in touch with their emotions too. Unsurprisingly, then, in a 2019 Us Weekly interview, the actor, who once starred in a "Law & Order: SVU" episode, confirmed that she had a completely open and honest relationship with her sons and never hesitated to tell them if she wasn't feeling up for playtime. This line of communication notably went both ways because her three boys weren't afraid to tell her if they felt she was being overly strict either. And Zoe appreciated these little nudges because they helped her reframe the age-old perspective of motherhood that had been so heavily ingrained in her.

During a 2017 appearance on "Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen," actor and mother-of-three Zoe Saldaña reiterated that she and Marco Perego-Saldaña had no desire to make their first pregnancy public. However, the "Crossroads" star discussed it with Britney Spears when they were on a flight together and forgot to mention that they were keeping the happy news under wraps. As a result, the "Toxic" hitmaker accidentally spilled the beans during an Entertainment Tonight interview. Although Zoe was understandably surprised by the revelation, she didn't hold it against her former co-star because she knew it was an honest mistake. 

When the Marvel star appeared on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" in June 2015, she discussed how they were having a tough time sleep-training their six-month-old twins, Cy Aridio and Bowie Ezio, and had even called her sister over for a night because she had sleep-trained her little one just months prior. At first, the "Star Trek" star and her hubby managed to follow her sister's instructions and only verbally consoled their crying babies. However, they were soon overcome with emotion and started ranting about how only someone without a heart could let their babies cry their little hearts out. And her sister heard her harsh words on the baby monitor. 

Despite all the chaos, their home environment remains pretty laidback. While speaking to People in 2017, Zoe enthused, "My husband and I are sponges, because we are determined to raise happy, stress-free men." As a result, their little ones were free to run around their home and invite their friends over for playdates whenever they wanted.

During a 2018 chat with People, Zoe Saldaña acknowledged that twins Cy Aridio and Bowie Ezio had an inseparable bond and often forgot to get their little brother, Zen Anton Hilario, to tag along with them on their little adventures. She and husband Marco Perego gently nudged the twins to think of their youngest sibling, noting, "Zen never lets them forget either. He's really persistent." Meanwhile, in the "Avatar" star's 2022 InStyle interview, she pointed out that Zen was also smart enough to distinguish between her onscreen persona and her real-life self, explaining, "I see how he's trying to place me in his mind like, 'OK, you're mama, but you're also Gamora.'" 

Zoe looked forward to the day that they would fully understand and adore her "Guardians of the Galaxy" films, in particular, adding, "And the fact that that gives me street cred with my kids, it's fun, it's great." Although the actor keeps her children off social media for the most part, she couldn't help but share a heartfelt birthday tribute to Zen on Instagram in 2017, writing, "Your Joie de Vie keeps all of us wrapped around your little finger. Your brothers are the most blessed big brothers in the world." The message was penned in English and Spanish to honor their multicultural roots. In fact, as Zoe proudly told People, they were teaching the kids Spanish to help them connect to her Puerto Rican and Dominican roots, and Italian for their father's.