Zoe Saldaña has been named the Best Supporting Actress at this year's Oscars. The Avatar and Guardians of the Galaxy star picked up the gong – her first Academy Award – for her performance in Jacques Audiard's musical thriller Emilia Pérez.
Released on Netflix on October 25, the Spanish-language film sees Saldaña play Rita Mora Castro, a Mexico City-based lawyer tasked with helping a cartel boss undergo gender-affirming surgery and start a new, more authentic life. It is loosely adapted from French writer Boris Razon's 2018 novel Écoute.
Having already bested the competition at the BAFTAs, Critics Choice Awards, the Golden Globes, and the SAG Awards, it was hardly a surprising victory – though still one that evidently meant a great deal to the 46-year-old...
While accepting the accolade, Saldaña, who beat out Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown), Ariana Grande (Wicked), Felicity Jones (The Brutalist), and Isabella Rossellini (Conclave), said through tears: "I am floored by this honor. Thank you to the Academy for recognizing the quiet heroism and power in a woman like Rita. Talking about powerful women: my fellow nominees, the love and community you have given me is a gift. I will pay it forward... to my cast and my crew, I am sharing this award with you."
Saldaña also made note of being the first American of Dominican origin to win an Oscar.
While one of Saldaña's co-stars, Selena Gomez, missed out on a nomination (despite bagging nods at the BAFTAs and Golden Globes), Karla Sofía Gascón, who plays the titular Emilia, was up for Best Actress – marking the first time an openly trans actor has been up for one of the event's most prestigious prizes.
Gascón attended the ceremony despite controversy surrounding some of her resurfaced social media posts, which touched on subjects such as Islam and the death of George Floyd, as well as past Oscar winners like Daniel Kaluuya and Yuh-jung Youn.
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