Zoe Saldaña Plans to Wait on Directing Until Her Kids Are Old Enough to Understand Her Absence.Linh

Zoe Saldaña is putting her role as a mother first, despite her desire to follow another passion.

The Guardians of the Galaxy star, 46, opened up about what it’s like being a working mother while speaking with Variety for their story published Monday, Oct. 21. The actress shared that one of her long-term goals is to direct a film, however, with three young kids — twins Cy and Bowie, 9, and Zen, 7, who she shares with husband Marco Perego — Saldaña admits it’s not the right time to dive into a new project.

“When you direct — especially the kind of director that I am, and that I’ve witnessed all the directors that I’ve admired be — you live with a movie for years,” the mom of three explained. “I just want to make sure that my kids are old enough where they don’t even notice that I’m gone.”

She continued to share that she finds it “intolerable” to be away from her little ones while working. “I always walk around with a heavy heart every time I’m away from them,” she added.

Earlier this month, the Center Stage actress shared a post on her Instagram celebrating working mothers around the world and her own “sacrifice” for her three sons. She posted an adorable throwback snap of herself and her twins backstage.

While painted green and dressed in her full Gamora get-up, Saldaña can be seen handing Cy and Bowie their bottles as they sit on set in matching pajamas.

“Being on the road is hard when you’re away from your children,” she wrote in her caption. “To all the moms out there making the ultimate sacrifice for their dreams. Those dreams are their’s too! Trust the process… #momlife.”

Back in March, the Marvel star opened up to PEOPLE about life as a mom to three boys, sharing that video games have become something they all have been enjoying together.

“A big part of parenting is nurturing their curiosity, fostering their opinions, and meeting them where they’re at. So when my kids started to express interest in video games, I knew it was something we couldn’t ignore,” said Saldaña.

“The boys now are going to school and all of their friends are gaming, so every time they would come home they were just like, ‘Why can’t we do it? Why can’t we do it?’ They have certain needs and if I’m not meeting them, they do feel that they’re left behind and they do feel that they’re isolated at school.”

“So it was important my husband and I figured out a way to not only make it positive but to make it a family activity,” she added. “That’s why we’re all playing together. They’re not just in a corner, sucked into a screen; we’re all involved.”