Washington [US], January 24: Karla Sofia Gascon, the Spanish-born star of Emilia Perez, made history with her nomination for Best Actress at the 2025 Academy Awards, becoming the first openly transgender performer to receive such an honor. This achievement comes after Elliot Page’s 2008 nomination for Juno, when he had not yet publicly come out as transgender.
Gascon earned critical acclaim for her performance in Emilia Perez, directed by Jacques Audiard, where she portrays a Mexican cartel leader who transitions and dedicates herself to aiding victims of gang violence. Her role in the film, which also stars Zoe Saldana and Selena Gomez, earned her a shared Best Actress award at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
Speaking about her Oscar nomination, Gascon, who was in an airport lounge in Brazil when the news broke, described the moment as “completely crazy” and “surreal.” She added, “What an illusion, what an honor, what love. I feel fulfilled; it is the culmination of nine months of promotion and two years of work.”
While she is honored, Gascon emphasized that her nomination should be recognized for her talent, not her identity. “Now it is time to focus on my performance and put aside my ethnicity, sexuality, or hair color to move forward in ‘integration,’” she said. “Art does not understand hate, and no one can question my work, especially not the fact that I am an actress. An actress who deserves recognition solely for her sublime performance in Emilia Perez.”
Despite receiving widespread praise for her acting, Gascon has faced online abuse and even death threats, with far-right French politician Marion Marechal insulting her nomination by saying “a man has won best actress.” Gascon responded by suing Marechal for the “sexist insult,” remaining steadfast in her fight against transphobia.
Her Oscar nomination comes shortly after President Donald Trump signed an executive order limiting government recognition to only biological genders. Gascon did not shy away from expressing her criticism of the order, calling Trump “shameless” and saying, “I hope that whatever needs to happen happens to shut everyone up, on both sides.”
Gascon used her platform at the Golden Globe Awards to stand in solidarity with the trans community, saying, “The light always wins over darkness.” In a saffron dress, she highlighted the resilience of transgender people, stating, “You can try to imprison us or beat us, but you can never take away our soul, our existence, our identity.”
Earlier, Gascon expressed her concern for the socio-cultural challenges facing the trans community, warning, “We are going backwards. The new generations have not experienced what the previous ones have gone through, so they are destined to repeat the same mistakes. Be careful with giving power to the intolerant, because it will end the little tolerance we have.”
Meanwhile, Emilia Perez has garnered an impressive 13 Academy Award nominations, making it the most nominated non-English language film in the history of the Oscars.