13-06-2025
Zoe Saldana fiercely slammed for branding her Emilia Perez Oscar statue 'trans'
If you thought you had finally escaped any discourse around 2024 film Emilia Pérez, you were mistaken.
Zoe Saldana, who plays Rita Mora Castro - a Mexican lawyer tasked with helping a cartel boss transition into a woman, recently spoke with People about winning her first ever Academy Award for the role.
In speaking about her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, she mentioned that she keeps the statue in her office and that it was 'gender fluid.'
She then went on to say that the award was 'trans' and goes by 'they/them.'
But the admission did not go over well with the general public.
Although Emilia Pérez won several awards, the movie - which features other actors including trans actress Karla Sofia Gascon and Selena Gomez - was met with massive controversy.
On one hand, members of the LGBTQ community were upset at the movie's 'retrograde' portrayal of a trans woman.
Others took issue with the representation of Mexican culture in the film, which featured an oversimplified take on drug violence in the nation, as well as a mixture of inaccurate accents and dialects.
The cast of the film faced backlash for its portrayal of trans women on film as well as its inaccurate depiction of Mexico
And then, some of Gascon's old tweets were resurfaced, which featured racist and discriminatory views against Muslims, China, and George Floyd - for which she later apologized.
On top of all of this controversy laid critic's biggest issue: Not once during any award speech or discussion about the film did any of the actors involved mention the issues that plague trans people in their communities.
So Saldaña saying months later that her Oscar award was 'trans,' caused a rehashing of the uproar the film faced when it first came out.
'We have Latinos/Hispanics fighting for their rights at this moment and this woman and the whole cast of Emilia Perez have been silent about their support to the community they profited from, clear as water they only cared for the award,' one X (formerly Twitter) user shared, referencing the ongoing protests taking place against ICE.
Another user brought attention to how much the act felt like an afterthought.
'Yet she could barely speak about trans rights during her acceptance speeches,' they said.
Others mirrored the same sentiment, with one user saying, 'She's so nasty where was this energy making the movie or during the awards campaign lol.'
Some users clapped back at the choice to call her award trans.
Social media users slammed Saldaña, pointing out the lack of her support for the trans community while accepting awards for the film
'She's calling her Oscar… trans????' one user questioned.
And finally, some users were just upset to have to see anything about the film on their timelines again.
'I thought I wouldn't have to hear about this movie again,' another X user shared.
While Emilia Pérez itself may be in the best, it's no telling what its cast might say in the future to bring it back into the headlines.
