Actor Zoe Saldaña says her newly minted Academy Award “is gender fluid — it’s trans and goes by they/them,” a playful declaration she offered on the “Elio” premiere carpet in Los Angeles this week. Asked by People where the statuette lives, the 46-year-old replied, “We have it in my office,” before volunteering its pronouns and noting the link to the transgender storyline of Emilia Pérez, the Spanish-language musical crime drama that earned her the prize.
Saldaña’s off-hand remark lands in the middle of a broader, months-long dispute over Emilia Pérez. The film, directed by France’s Jacques Audiard, follows a Mexican cartel boss who transitions with the help of Saldaña’s lawyer character and has delivered both Oscars glory — 13 nominations and wins for Saldaña and best original song — and fierce backlash.
Trans-advocacy group GLAAD catalogued critiques calling the picture a “profoundly retrograde” portrayal of trans women and a step backwards for representation. Mexican filmmakers and scholars, including cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto and academic Alejandra Márquez Guajardo, have also faulted the movie for what they say is an inauthentic depiction of Mexican culture.
Supporters counter that the project still broke ground: co-star Karla Sofía Gascón became the first openly trans performer ever nominated for best actress, and critics such as The Guardian argued the musical’s audacity signals Hollywood’s growing willingness to foreground trans stories. Audiard, for his part, has said he wanted to film “a story about a person changing their life,” though he apologised after canceling a Mexico City Q&A amid protests.
Saldaña has navigated the divide carefully. She apologised in March to viewers who felt the film slighted Mexican audiences, insisting its intent was “to celebrate friendship among women.” Days later she revealed she “collapsed” backstage from exhaustion moments after her emotional Oscar speech.
The actor’s lighthearted christening of her statuette also nods to a growing mini-trend: Jamie Lee Curtis similarly assigned they/them pronouns to her 2023 Oscar to honour her trans daughter. Saldaña said she hopes the gesture keeps attention on genuine inclusion in an industry still debating who gets to tell which stories. “Even gold can evolve,” she joked, cradling the statuette that, at least in her house, now answers to “they.”