Zoe Saldana Defends Her Husband’s Decision To Take Her Last Name, Challenges Men To “Redefine Masculinity”

Zoe Saldana’s husband, Marco Perego took her last name after they wed in 2013, the Star Trek actress revealed in a recent interview.

Zoe Saldana’s Husband, Marco Perego, Took Her Name

Saldana and Perego, an artist, married two years ago and have since become parents to twin boys, Cy and Bowie Perego-Saldana. In her first cover story since giving birth six months ago, Saldana opened up about life as a mother of two and her marriage to Perego, revealing that he volunteered to take her last name after they were married.

“I tried to talk him out of it. I told him, ‘If you use my name, you’re going to be emasculated by your community of artists, by your Latin community of men, by the world.’ But Marco looks up at me and says, ‘Ah, Zoe, I don’t give a s—t’” Saldana told InStyle.

After the story broke, many were quick to praise Perego’s progressive choice to take Saldana’s last name, and the story quickly became viral. Seeing the press surrounding the quote, Saldana took to Facebook to expand on her family’s decision. “Fathers, sons, brothers, men everywhere: Your legacy will not perish if you take your partner’s surname, or she keeps hers,” Saldana wrote.

Saldana, who signed the message with her husband, continued, saying that she was hesitant about Perego taking her name until he challenged her to ask herself, “What am I so afraid of?”

“Why is it so surprising, shocking – eventful that a man would take his wife’s surname? Women have never been asked if its ok for them to give up their names – why doesn’t that make the news?” she asks. Saldana continued, emphasizing that her sons will not think any less of their father because he took her name, writing with certainty, “I know our sons will respect and admire their father more because their father lead by example.”

In her post, Saldana encouraged men to follow her husband’s lead and think about how to “redefine masculinity.”

“Gentlemen, I implore you to think outside the box – remove the box altogether. Let’s redefine masculinity. A real ‘man’ leads along side his partner. A real man accepts his mortality. A real man acknowledges that nothing can be done alone,” Saldana wrote.