Zoe Saldaña Shares the Sweet Special Name Her Kids Have for Cameron Diaz (Exclusive)

11/20/2024 10:28 AM

Saldaña and Diaz have been friends for years, with the two having been spotted at each other's birthday parties and even at Taylor Swift's Eras Tour

Zoe Saldaña is making it known that Cameron Diaz has earned a special name in her family.

TheEmilia Pérezstar, 46, told PEOPLE at Elle's 2024 Women in Hollywood event at The Four Seasons, Beverly Hills on Tuesday, Nov. 19 that the actress has forged a deep bond with her and her family — so much so that her children call her "auntie" in Spanish.

"Cameron, I am so happy. I'm so inspired by watching you really craft both your massive career and your beautifully private life exactly your own way,"  Saldaña said.

"It is an honor to know you and what a gift for my kids to call you 'Tía,' and I call you 'friend,' " she added, referring to kids Cy, Bowie and Zen, whom she shares with husband Marco Perego. "I love you. Thank you for being [on the] line for me, for us and for me."

Related: Emilia Pérez Review: A Crazy, Daring Tale (with Songs!) of Crime, Revenge and Gender Identity

The pair have been friends for several years, with Saldaña celebrating several milestone events with the Back in Actionactress, 52. She was even on hand for Diaz's 50th birthday party alongside the actress's sister-in-law Nicole Richie and The Other Woman costar Leslie Mann.

The pair even attended Taylor Swift's Eras Tour together last year alongside Tiffany Haddish. The comedian posted a video on Instagram showing herself dancing alongside the two while in a private box at the concert. 

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

In the video, Diaz could be seen asking, "Are we live? We're live!," while Haddish cheered on Swift saying, "Here supporting T, T. Yes, T, T, that's Taylor. We're here supporting our girl, Taylor – Look, she ready!"

Diaz went on to discuss the outing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, while describing a photo of herself at the concert alongside Saldaña, Haddish and Elsa Collins, and noted that it was the Avatar star's idea to attend the concert.

Related: Cameron Diaz's Glam Squad Just Shared a Rare BTS Photo of the Star: 'Back in Action'

"Zoe Saldaña is one of my besties and we were talking the night before and she was like, 'Should we go see Taylor Swift?' and I was like, 'Yeah I think we should, but how are we ever gonna get tickets?' " Diaz recalled.

She continued, "Then Elsa Collins calls Zoe the next morning and says, 'Let's go,' and we show up and Tiffany is there, who is like the biggest Swiftie ever."

Most recently, Diaz and Saldaña were both photographed attending Rob Lowe's 60th birthday in Santa Barbara, Calif., in March. Diaz and her husband, Benji Madden — who share kids Raddix and Cardinal — could be seen wearing matching black and gray outfits as they entered the party, with the actress also holding some flowers.