Zoe Saldaña Wins First Oscar, Emotionally Calls for Her Mom

We can now add an Academy Award to Zoe Saldaña’s list of accomplishments!

 The 46-year-old ‘Emilia Pérez’ star accepted the Best Supporting Actress Oscar at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

 Overcome with passion, she waved through tears and shouted out for her mother before speaking to the crowd.  She mentioned how thrilled she felt to win the award and that her mother and whole family were there.

 Saldaña thanked her family and staff during her moving speech, jokingly referring to her husband Marco Perego’s “beautiful hair.” In addition, she expressed her pride at being the first American of Dominican descent to receive an Academy Award and her hope that she won’t be the last.

In the Best Supporting Actress category, she faced Isabella Rossellini (‘Conclave’), Felicity Jones (‘The Brutalist’), Monica Barbaro (‘A Complete Unknown’), and Ariana Grande (‘Wicked’).

Image Courtesy: Getty Images

 With victories at the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards, BAFTAs, and SAG Awards, Saldaña was the clear favourite going into the Oscars.

 She plays Rita, a lawyer assigned to assist the film’s main heroine in undergoing gender-affirming surgery in order to escape life as a cartel lord in ‘Emilia Pérez’, a Spanish-language musical and crime thriller.

 She dedicated her BAFTA prize to her nephew Eli during her February BAFTA acceptance speech, stating that he played a part in her decision to take the position.  She underlined her dedication to helping the LGBT community as a proud aunt of a transgender relative.

Image Courtesy: Getty Images

With 13 nominations, ‘Emilia Pérez’ led the 2025 Oscar field, but ‘The Brutalist’, ‘Wicked’, and ‘A Complete Unknown’ all garnered numerous nominations.  Veteran actress Rossellini celebrated receiving her first Oscar nod for ‘Conclave’.

 Saldaña made history with her victory, and the ceremony, which was hosted by Conan O’Brien and shown on ABC, was a turning point in her career.

–Farheen Ali