Zoe Saldana was too overwhelmed to do 'Star Trek' sequel

Actress Zoe Saldana, who is featuring in "Star Trek" sequel, says she was a little overwhelmed after "Avatar" and almost refused the offer to act in "Star Trek Into Darkness".

The actress, who played Neytiri in James Cameron's epic film "Avatar", said: "I was afraid. I think I was just a little beside myself because after the treat and the gift of booking 'Avatar' and being in the middle of shooting, to be able to then do another great movie with another great filmmaker back to back - I was a little overwhelmed."

Saldana, who "loves science fiction", said her mother was a "sci-fi buff" and she has read "Dune" by Frank Herbert three times. The actress also dressed up as Lady Jessica, a character of Dune, for Halloween, when she was 13.

The "Avatar" star also said that she was "captivated by space and space travel" when she was a kid, and thinks that the human race is fascinated with "what might be out there".

"The one thing I've learned since I was a little girl is that it doesn't matter where a story is set - in the future, a period piece or on a boat - if it's a good story and it has rich characters it will not distract you from getting into the story," Saldana said in a statement.

The sequel will feature the same crew of director J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek", and is set to release in India May 10.