Zoe Saldaña wins Oscar for best supporting actress in ‘Emilia Pérez’

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Zoe Saldaña won the Academy Award for best supporting actress on Sunday night for her role in the Netflix film Emilia Pérez. Saldaña plays Rita Mora Castro, a lawyer who helps the title character, a trans cartel boss, undergo gender-affirming surgery and start a new life as a woman.

Zoe Saldaña wins Oscar for best supporting actress in ‘Emilia Pérez’

Zoe Saldaña accepts the best actress in a supporting role award for Emilia Pérez during the 97th Annual Oscars at Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Calif.

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Zoe Saldaña won the Academy Award for best supporting actress on Sunday night for her role in the Netflix film Emilia Pérez. Saldaña plays Rita Mora Castro, a lawyer who helps the title character, a trans cartel boss, undergo gender-affirming surgery and start a new life as a woman.

This is Saldaña’s first-ever Oscar win and her first Oscar nomination. She is also the first Dominican American to win an Academy Award.

“I am a proud child of immigrant parents with dreams and dignity and hard-working hands,” she said in an emotional acceptance speech. “The fact that I’m getting an award for a role where I got to sing and speak in Spanish — my grandmother, if she were here, would’ve been so delighted.”

Emilia Pérez led the night in Academy Award nominations with 13 nods, including Saldaña’s.