Yahoo Lifestyle Zoe Saldaña Defends 'Emilia Pérez': It's Not 'About A Country'
Zoe Saldaña, who won an Oscar for her role in the Spanish-language musical comedy “Emilia Pérez” on Sunday, told a Mexican journalist who said the film was “really hurtful” for her people that the film “came from a place of love.”
Saldaña, in remarks to the media following her Best Supporting Actress win, took a question from a reporter who referred to Mexico as the “heart” of the film, which has been criticized for its depiction of the country.
“First of all, I’m very very sorry that you and so many Mexicans felt offended. That was never our intention. We came from a place of love and I will stand by that,” said Saldaña, who plays a lawyer in the film that focuses on a Mexican cartel boss who fakes her death before undergoing gender-affirming surgery.
“Emilia Pérez” — which led all films with 13 nominations at the Oscars and ultimately went home with two wins — has been hit with backlash for its transrepresentation as well as its portrayal of Mexican culture and cartel violence in the country.
Oscar hopes for the Jacques Audiard-directed film quickly sank after lead Karla Sofía Gascón’s controversial social media footprint surfaced.
On Sunday, Saldaña told the reporter that she doesn’t “share her opinion,” adding that the “heart of this movie was not Mexico.”
“We weren’t making a film about a country. We were making a film about four women,” Saldaña said of the musical in which she stars alongside Gascón and Selena Gomez. “And these women could’ve been Russian, could’ve been Dominican, could’ve been Black from Detroit, could’ve been from Israel, could’ve been from Gaza.”
She continued, “And these women are still very universal women that are struggling every day, trying to survive systemic oppression and trying to find their most authentic voices.”
Saldaña added that she’s “always open to sit down with all of my Mexican brothers and sisters” to have a conversation with “love and respect” on how the movie could have been done better.
In her acceptance speech at the ceremony, Saldaña celebrated being a child of immigrant parents and noted that she’s the first American of Dominican origin to win an Oscar.
“Emilia Pérez” star Zoe Saldaña responds to criticism of the film’s portrayal of Mexico, after a journalist shares that it has been “really hurtful for us Mexicans.” https://t.co/AUQtz88gSipic.twitter.com/8MBNR4Pvcn
— Variety (@Variety) March 3, 2025
This article has been updated to more accurately reflect Saldaña’s comments.
