Zoe Saldaña Dedicated BAFTA Win To Her Trans Nephew
“I will always stand with my community of trans people,” Saldaña said Sunday.
After taking home the BAFTA award for best supporting actress, Emilia Pérez star Zoe Saldaña dedicated her win to her trans nephew, Eli.
Saldaña had many thanks to hand out during her short time on stage. So many, in fact, that the latter half of her acceptance speech was cut off by BBC, due to the broadcast’s time restraints.
“Oh my god, I’m getting a countdown. F*ck, f*ck, f*ck,” Saldaña exclaimed in her censored speech, referring to the show’s speech timer.
Those tuning in on TV did not hear her touching dedication on stage, but she made a point to mention it to journalists in the winners’ room afterward.
“I’m dedicating all of these awards and the film Emilia Pérez to my nephew, Eli. He is the reason—they are the reason—I signed up to do this film in the first place,” she said. “So as the proud aunt of a trans life, I will always stand with my community of trans people.”
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Saldaña’s win Sunday night for her role in the controversial Netflix film Emilia Pérez marked her first BAFTA award. The 46-year-old actress was up against Ariana Grande for Wicked, Felicity Jones for The Brutalist, Jamie Lee Curtis for The Last Showgirl, and Isabella Rossellini for Conclave. Her co-star Selena Gomez, who was also nominated in the same category, cheered Saldaña on from the crowd and even appeared to tear up during her emotional speech.
Though Gomez was present at the ceremony, Emilia Peréz star Karla Sofía Gascón was noticeably absent, following a string of racist and homophobic tweets that were recently unearthed. Gascón was dropped from the film’s press tour leading up to the BAFTA ceremony after she continued to make statements without consulting Netflix. Her attempts at apologies dragged the film’s name through the mud and threatened its award-season run.
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Although Saldaña has previously stated she does not agree with Gascón’s tweets, she still thanked her in her acceptance speech.
“I want to thank my wonderful cast, Karla, Selena, Adriana,” she said. “Films are supposed to change hearts and challenge minds. And I hope that Emilia Pérez did something like this, please, because voices need to be heard.”
Emilia Pérez received a total of 11 BAFTA nominations and also received the award for best non-English film.
