Karla Sofía Gascón becomes first openly trans actor nominated for an Oscar

Karla Sofía Gascón, the star of the French film “Emilia Pérez,” has become the first openly transgender actor to be nominated for an Academy Award. 

Gascón was nominated in the Best Actress category for her role in the Spanish-language musical crime drama. The movie, directed by Jacques Audiard, is available on Netflix. 

Gascón has also been nominated for a Golden Globe, Screen Actors’ Guild award, and BAFTA for the movie. She and co-stars Zoë Saldaña, Selena Gomez and Adriana Paz shared the best actress award at the Cannes Film Festival. 

In the film, Gascón plays a Mexican crime boss who seeks out a lawyer (Saldaña) who can help the character transition into living as a woman. 

“Emilia Pérez” racked up the most nominations this year, with Saldaña scoring a Best Supporting Actress nomination and the film’s songwriters earning two nods for “Best Original Song.” The movie was also nominated for Best Picture and a slew of technical awards. 

The Best Actress category also features Demi Moore for the “The Substance,” Cynthia Erivo for “Wicked,” Fernanda Torres for “I’m Still Here,” and Mikey Madison for “Anora.”