American actress Zoe Saldana won her first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in ‘Emilia Perez
American actress Zoe Saldana won her first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the musical crime film Emilia Perez. At the 97th Academy Awards this past Sunday, the 46 year old veteran actress took to the stage to accept the Oscar statue in a state of gratitude and disbelief.
“Thank you to the Academy for recognizing the quiet heroism and the power in a woman like Rita” she said, “my grandmother came to this country in 1961. I am a proud child of immigrant parents with dreams and dignity and hard working hands and I am the first American of Dominican origin to accept an Academy Award and I know I won’t be the last”.
Saldana was nominated alongside fellow actresses Monica Barbaro, Ariana Grande, Felicity Jones, and Isabella Rosselini for their roles in A Complete Unknown, Wicked, The Brutalist, and Conclave, respectively. This is Saldana’s first Academy Award nomination after a very illustrious career in films such as Center Stage (2000), Crossroads (2002), Avatar series, (2009-2024), Star Trek reboot series (2009-2016), Colombiana (2011), and Guardians of the Galaxy series (2014-2023).
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For her role in Emilia Perez, Saldana has also received the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actress, and BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress. The film centers around a Mexican cartel leader who aims to transition into a woman with the help of an attorney (played by Saldana). The film is also helmed by an ensemble cast featuring Selena Gomez, Karla Gascon, Adriana Paz, Mark Ivanir, and Edgar Ramirez. The film also lead the Academy Award nominations with 13.
It should come as no surprise that the film has had a polarizing reception due to its subject matter. One particular area of controversy lies in its depiction of Mexico. Writer James Wagner, in his 2025 article for The New York Times,
“Why ‘Emilia Pérez,’ a Film About Mexico, Flopped in Mexico”, writes, “It has been widely criticized for its depiction of the country, the minimization of the cartel violence that has ravaged so many and the few Mexicans involved in its production… A main critique of “Emilia Pérez” is that it trivializes Mexico’s ongoing struggle with organized crime. There have been more than 460,000 homicides since 2006, when the president then declared war on the cartels. The movie is a musical, with glitzy song-and-dance numbers, including lyrics about bodies disposed of in acid.”
Moreover, at a time when immigration and transgender rights are at the epicenter of politics since the 2024 election, Emilia Perez remains as a point of cultural discussion and relevance. Saldana’s performance and recognition for her performance will continue to provide much discourse for the film.
