If you’re anything like me, then you probably saw Zoe Saldaña's emotional speech after she won the award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture at the Golden Globes this weekend. If you’re also like me, then you probably hadn’t seen Emilia Pérez prior to the awards, and decided to give it a watch after seeing the film take home multiple trophies.
This Marvel Actress Just Gave My Favorite Performance of the Year in a Non-Marvel Movie—& She Deserves an Oscar
It's Long Overdue
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Published Jan 7, 2025
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Now, I’m not the biggest fan of musicals, but Emilia Pérez was a pleasant surprise, primarily because of its ingenious casting. The plot? A Mexican cartel leader contacts a lawyer (Saldaña), with the hopes of transitioning to a woman. Along the way, there are tons of original songs and glamorous dancing as the former kingpin goes through the process of completing the procedure, and successfully begins a new life as Emilia Pérez.
That's when the drama really kicks in. Four years after the procedure, Emilia decides to re-enter her partner and children’s lives without revealing who she really is in relation to them, which ultimately leads to trauma and tragedy. And while the twists and turns kept me fully entertained, it was Saldaña’s riveting performance that stood out most.
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As a longtime fan, I’ve seen Saldaña in a number of projects that showcase her emotional depth and toughness (Colombiana and Special Ops: Lioness and her performance as Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy, to name a few), but Emilia Pérez just might be her best—enough to rightfully garner what I believe should be her first Oscar nomination and win. In it, Saldaña is lethal, seamlessly switching back and forth between her character’s moods depending on the situation, and the musicality she displays dates back to earlier projects like Center Stage, Drumline and even the 2002 film, Crossroads, in which she does a musical number alongside co-star Britney Spears.
Emilia Pérez, however, is Saldaña in her fullest form, and I couldn't take my eyes off her during musical numbers like “El Mal” and “El Alegato.”
Saldaña's well-deserved Golden Globes win was an emotional moment for her. “My heart is full of gratitude,” she told the audience during her acceptance speech. “Thank you so much to the Golden Globes for celebrating our film and honoring the women of Emilia Pérez. I’m so blessed that I’m sharing this moment with [Selena Gomez] and [Karla Sofía Gascón] and [director Jacques Audiard] and all of my fellow nominees,” she added.
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Saldaña’s performance is even more moving when you find out that she was actually on the verge of quitting acting before landing Emilia Pérez, something she didn’t reveal until after her win on Sunday night.
“I feel an absolute joy. Joy because there's a sense of presence,” she told reporters at a press conference, explaining, “I've always had good human beings and amazing undeniable talent, undeniably talented filmmakers believe in me and bet on me, trust me and consistently, so this recognition is, it's paramount for my continuation as an artist.”
