Vanity Fair drew some flack last week for its lack of diversity on the cover of their annual Hollywood issue with many wondering why actresses like Zoe Saldana or Gabourey Sidibe failed to make the cut. Access Hollywood caught up with the “Avatar” star on Tuesday night and the actress weighed in on the uproar.

“I feel like we can spend a lot of time bashing our beautiful country, but we don’t give it enough credit,” Zoe told Access at the Cinema Society and HBO screening of HBO’s “How To Make It In America” in New York City.

The actress explained that though the magazine might not be the best representation of Hollywood, she’s hopeful the media will catch up with the reality of what constitutes the fabric of the country.

“Our pace might be a little slow and it might not be on par to how we, as American civilians, would like it to be, but it is still an amazing country,” Zoe continued. “So, when I look at magazines like Vanity Fair and Vogue, I know that it’s just a matter of time, the same way Obama took his time and he got to office and became President… it’s just a matter of time until magazines, the media, our art, our culture, our colloquial lifestyle, tags along to our today reality.”

Zoe said despite our cultural shortcomings, she’s proud to call America home.

“I’m a first generation American,” she explained. “I was taught by my mother, who was an immigrant, to be very grateful to this country. It is no different than when you have a dysfunctional family – it can be very dysfunctional –but it is still your family… and America is still ours. I think we can waste a lot time throwing it down the drain and not knowing the amazing things about this country.”

From Access Hollywood