Yahoo Lifestyle ‘Emilia Pérez’ and ‘Maria’ Stars Talk ‘Dream Jobs’ and Working With ‘Great Filmmakers’ at Palm Springs Film Festival
Despite a flourishing, decades-long career in Hollywood as a multi-hyphenate, Selena Gomez said “Emilia Perez” was the kind of role she’d been craving “for years.”
“The whole experience was a dream job for an actor. I had been craving for years to find something that would make me feel remotely challenged,” Gomez revealed at a recent “Emilia Perez” panel hosted by Variety at the Palm Springs Film Festival.
“But my goals are to work to work with great filmmakers. When you have a script like this and you read it, you’re a little confused but you put it together with Jacques (Audiard) as you’re doing the movie, and everything starts to fall into place. He’s been one of the best directors I’ve ever collaborated with.”
For breakout star Karla Sofía Gascón, “Emilia Perez” was a welcome opportunity to explore LGBTQ+ narratives outside of cliches and stereotypes.
“For me, something that is important in the movie is the relationship between Epifanio and Emilia,” said Gascón. “The lesbian relationship. It places these characters that we don’t typically see in unexpected places, this movie is giving global visibility to the LGBTQ+ community, to the trans community.”
“These communities don’t exist only in dark streets, in dark alleys, in these dark places where many would like to see us marginalized,” she continued. “We are everywhere. We are in your homes, in your families, in the world of sports. When you go buy bread anywhere in the world, we don’t owe anyone an explanation of what we do with our bodies. The fact that this movie puts these characters in places we don’t expect definitely keeps it more relevant.”
Édgar Ramírez, who plays Jessi’s (Selena Gomez) love interest Gustavo, said he was humbled to take part in “Emilia Perez’s” bold narrative and work alongside such a formidable cast.
“The impact of this film and how beautifully it’s been welcomed by audiences around the world is truly a beautiful surprise to all of us. I am blessed to be among these talented and powerful ladies that I have the honor to work with. They’re my friends, they’re my sisters. We’re a family. We’re going to be in each other’s lives forever.”
As a highlight of the Women in Motion program, The Palm Springs Film Festival also hosted a conversation with Angelina Jolie, who plays the titular soprano in Pablo Larraín’s “Maria.” Jolie admitted to fibbing about her vocal ability to get the part, regardless of her own self-doubts:
“I had never sung,” Jolie said. “I had somebody once tell me I couldn’t sing or be a little dismissive when I was singing once, and it really shut me down. I never told anybody, but it was part of my life that I just blocked. And then when Pablo asked me to do this and asked me if I could sing, I lied. ‘Can you ride a horse?’ ‘Yes.’ Obviously, nobody can sing like Maria. No one. But I’ll do my best.”
In terms of what advice she’d give to young actors beyond the importance of taking risks, Jolie stressed the importance of savoring life.
“When I meet young artists who ask me for advice, I often stress that it’s really important to live a very full life,” Jolie said. “There’s a lot to focus on just having a career — if you love theater, you can do readings at home in your pajamas. You don’t have to get that job. Find the ways to just live as an artist, be around artists, but also live a very full life. It’s sometimes not a healthy business. It’s not the easiest place and it’s not where you should give everything if you’re living a full life.”
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