Zoe Saldaña Says Her 3 Children Have Never Seen 'Avatar': 'They're Still Too Young'

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic Zoe Saldana

Zoe Saldaña isn't one to force her films on sons Cy and Bowie, 8, and Zen, 6.

In fact, they are fans of Avatar, "but they're not watching it," the actress told PEOPLE Monday at the Avatar: The Way of Water premiere in Hollywood. "They're still too young."

"My kids tend to be very vocal about what is appropriate for them and what is inappropriate, and they have just such gentle hearts," said Saldaña, who attended the red carpet event with husband Marco Perego. "But they wanted to walk the red carpet, the blue carpet, and so we told them, 'No. You can walk a blue carpet with us when you're old enough to watch the movie.'"

RELATED: Zoe Saldaña Says Guardians of the Galaxy Role Gives Her 'Street Cred' with Her Kids: 'It's Great'

Being part of Avatar again was a joy for Saldaña. The Way of Water marks the second installment of the fantasy film franchise, which started in 2009, and is expected to continue with Avatar 3, slated for 2024 release.

"It felt like the gift that keeps on giving," Saldaña explained. "We were a part of something so groundbreaking, so trailblazing. It resonated with so many people around the world that it only felt fair to come back again."

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Michael Tran/FilmMagic Zoe Saldana, Marco Perego and sons

For Saldaña, children are her best anti-aging secret.

Speaking to PEOPLE about her upcoming role in the Reese Witherspoon-produced Netflix series From Scratch in September, the mom of three attributed having kids to help keep her youthful.

After noting that Saldaña looks nearly the same in From Scratch as she did two decades ago in her film Center Stage, the actress teased, "It's like Benjamin Button, I'll take that as a compliment."

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"I think having children keeps me out of trouble a lot," she continued. "I go to bed early. I eat better. I sleep longer sometimes. I'm back to sleeping."

"I was having a lot of problems with my sleep. Whereas right before I had them, I was very much of the policy of work hard, play hard," she said. "And I loved my life like that. But I feel like having children happened at the right time for me because in your mid-thirties to late thirties, early forties, that's when you go to bed thinking that you're one thing, and you wake up feeling like something else."

"And I started having kids during that time. So that saved me from a lot," she added.

Avatar: The Way of Water hits theaters Friday.