Zoe Saldana Says She was Bullied in School for Speaking English

Zoe Saldana is opening up about her childhood in school, and it wasn’t an easy one.

The 38-year-old actress shared that after her father died, she and her family moved from the United States to the Dominican Republic when she was nine-years-old and was bullied by her classmates for speaking in English rather than Spanish.

PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Zoe Saldana

“It was a very traumatizing time for me because I didn’t know how to stand up for myself,” Zoe shared with Balance magazine. “I was never equipped, trained or taught to defend myself. My mother never raised me believing that I was different, so the moment me and my sisters started getting attacked, shock was the first reaction.”

Zoe went on to say that she felt “ashamed” for not standing up for herself and shared that the bullies left a longstanding effect on her.

In order to deal with her problems, Zoe said she found solace in therapy.

“Whenever I’ve found myself in a rut, and tried bouncing ideas off people close to me and nobody gave me a good reference for what I should be doing, the best thing was to call my therapist,” Zoe said. “Seeking someone that is a professional is much better than venting with a friend who’s probably going to misguide you, or a mother who’ll always be biased because she loves you.”

Also pictured inside: Zoe Saldana holding hands with husband Marco Perego after lunch on Thursday afternoon (April 13) in West Hollywood, Calif.