You know how most Hollywood marriages feel like they’re on a timer? Like you’re just waiting for the "irreconcilable differences" headline to pop up on your feed? Well, Zoe Saldana and Marco Perego-Saldana kinda broke that mold. It's 2026, and they’re still the couple people point to when they want to talk about "doing it differently."
Honestly, it wasn't just the fact that they got married after only three months of dating back in 2013. That happens in Vegas every weekend. It was the way they rebuilt the whole idea of what a "power couple" looks like by actually sharing power—and even their names.
The "Vibration" on a 6:30 AM Flight
Most of us look like absolute bridge trolls on a 6:00 AM flight. Not these two. Zoe often tells this story about how she met Marco on a flight to New York. She saw him from behind—just the back of his head—and felt what she describes as a "vibration."
It sounds super "LA," right? But apparently, he felt it too. He turned around at the exact same moment. They started talking, and it turns out they had been circling each other's orbits for years. Zoe had actually known of his work as an artist since 2008.
They didn't waste time. By April 2013, they were spotted at Chateau Marmont. By June, they were secretly married in London. People thought they were crazy. A "red flag," some matchmakers called it. But 13 years later, that "vibration" seems to have had some serious staying power.
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Why Marco Perego-Saldana Isn't Just "The Husband"
Marco is an artist in his own right, and he's got a backstory that sounds like a movie script. Born in Salò, Italy, he was a professional soccer player for Venice's team until a leg injury at 21 ended that dream. Most people would’ve crumbled. Marco moved to New York, worked as a busboy, and painted in Spanish Harlem.
He eventually broke through when Gilda Moratti bought his work, but he's never really been "Hollywood." Even now, with Zoe winning an Oscar in 2025 for Emilia Pérez and her historic run as the highest-grossing lead actor of all time (thanks, Avatar and Marvel), Marco stays remarkably grounded.
The Name Change That Shook the Internet
Back in 2015, Zoe dropped a bombshell in an interview: Marco had taken her last name.
She actually tried to talk him out of it. She told him he’d be "emasculated" by the Latin community and the art world. His response? "Zoe, I don't give a sheet." (The Italian accent makes it better, trust me).
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He wanted to represent her family and her father's legacy. So, she became Zoe Saldaña-Perego and he became Marco Perego-Saldaña. It was a tiny move that felt like a huge political statement about masculinity, even if he just did it because he loved her.
Raising Three "Rambunctious" Trilingual Sons
The couple has three boys: twins Cy and Bowie (born in 2014) and Zen (born in 2016). They are notoriously private about them, but when they do show up—like at the Emilia Pérez premiere in Italy late in 2024—the internet loses its mind.
They’re raising the boys to be trilingual.
- Italian with Marco’s side.
- Spanish to honor Zoe’s Dominican and Puerto Rican roots.
- English at home in LA.
Zoe has mentioned they have a "gender-neutral" household. Not in some buzzword way, but in a practical "whoever is around fixes the TV" way. Marco does the cooking and the "traditionally female" tasks, and Zoe handles the "traditionally male" stuff. They're basically just trying to raise men who respect women and aren't afraid of their own "feminine self."
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The "Meaning" Promise
Recently, Zoe shared that she and Marco made a pact. They promised that whatever they did together—whether it was an art project or a life choice—it had to have meaning, or they wouldn't do it.
We saw this in 2024 with The Absence of Eden. Marco directed it, Zoe starred in it. It wasn't some flashy blockbuster; it was a gritty, human look at immigration at the border. Working together was "extremely challenging," according to Zoe, because they're both opinionated artists. But they did it because the story mattered to them.
What You Can Actually Learn from Them
If you're looking at Zoe Saldana and her spouse as a blueprint, it’s not about finding a guy on a plane. It’s about these three things:
- Trust your gut over the "timeline": They married in weeks because they just knew. Sometimes the "rules" of dating just get in the way of a real connection.
- Redefine the roles: If he wants to take your name, or you want to fix the sink, just do it. The world didn't end when Marco became a Saldaña.
- Privacy is a choice: You don't have to post your kids on TikTok to have a happy family. In fact, keeping them out of the spotlight is probably why they're so well-adjusted.
To keep up with their latest work, you can check out Marco's recent art installations or catch Zoe's performance in the upcoming Avatar: Fire and Ash. If you want to dive deeper into how they balance a high-profile marriage, looking into Zoe's 2025 Oscar acceptance speech gives a pretty raw look at their partnership.