The road for “Emilia Perez” has been an utter rollercoaster for everyone involved. Somehow, despite many controversies, the support for Zoe Saldaña did not waver. That respect and adoration culminated in Saldaña earning her first Oscar win on her first nomination in the Best Supporting Actress category. A remarkable achievement 25 years into her career.
READ MORE: Karla Sofia Gascón can’t stop and it’s a problem for “Emilia Perez”
Saldaña likely never expected the road to the Dolby Theater to be this difficult. After four of the film’s stars shared the Best Actress award at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, Netflix acquired the film for the U.S. and several other territories. Despite mixed to positive reviews, it found a group of hardcore fans (especially in Europe) who adored it. The movie ended up earning 13 Academy Awards nominations, more than any other nominated film. Then, the wheels started to fall off. There was unexpected controversy over old tweets from the star Karla Sofia Gascón, and the movie faced massive backlash in Mexico, where it was set but wasn’t filmed. Despite all this, Saldaña kept winning.
Over the past nine months, Saldaña won the aforementioned Cannes prize alongside Gascón, Selena Gomez, and Adriana Paz. She won the Golden Globe, the Critics Choice Award, the Screen Actors Guild Award, and the BAFTA Award for Supporting Actress. She also took several Supporting Actress honors from critics’ organizations such as the London Film Critics’ Circle. It all culminated with the Oscar on Sunday, March 2.
Since breaking out in 2000’s “Center Stage,” Saldaña has been a part of three of the biggest movie franchises this century.
She has already appeared in James Cameron’s “Avatar,” “Avatar: The Way of Water,” and will reprise her role as Neytiri in “Avatar: Fire and Ash” later this year. She also has appeared took over the iconic role of Nyota Uhura in 2008’s “Star Trek,” “Star Trek: Into Darkness,” and “Star Trek Beyond.” Lastly, she has portrayed Gamora in several Marvel Studios releases, including “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” “Avengers: Infinity War,” and “Avengers: Engame.”
The global box office tally of Saldana’s films is a staggering $5.5 billion.
Other films on Saldaña’s resume include “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” “Crossroads,” Steven Spielberg’s “The Terminal,” “Drumline,” “Guess Who,” “The Losers,” and Scott Cooper’s “Out of the Furnace,” among others.
Besides two other filmed “Avatar” installments, Saldaña will be heard as a voice in Pixar’s “Elio” this summer.
Currently, Saldaña can also be seen in the second season of Paramount+’s “Lioness.” The Taylor Sheridan thriller is expected to be renewed for a third season.
“Emilia Perez” is available to stream on Netflix