Karla Sofia Gascon, a Spanish actress, has made history as the first openly transgender performer nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards. Her groundbreaking nomination for the 2025 Oscars comes as a moment of celebration and progress in the entertainment industry.
Before Gascon, the only transgender actor to receive an Academy Award nomination was Elliot Page for ‘Juno’ in 2008, prior to publicly coming out as transgender.
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Gascon’s acclaimed performance in ‘Emilia Perez’, directed by Jacques Audiard, has captivated audiences and critics alike. In the film, she plays a Mexican cartel leader who transitions and dedicates her life to helping victims of gang violence.
The musical drama, also starring Zoe Saldana and Selena Gomez, has been praised for its emotional depth and powerful storytelling. Gascon’s portrayal earned her widespread recognition, including a shared Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival.
Reflecting on her Oscar nomination, Gascon shared that she was in an airport lounge in Brazil when the announcement was made.
She described the moment as surreal, saying, “It was completely crazy. I didn’t sleep all night. What an illusion, what an honor, what love.”
She called the recognition the culmination of years of dedication and hard work, emphasizing the personal and professional fulfillment it brought her.
Despite the historic nature of her nomination, Gascon is firm in her belief that her identity should not overshadow her craft. She expressed that her work in ‘Emilia Perez’ should be judged solely on its artistic merit.
“It’s time to focus on my performance and move beyond labels like ethnicity, sexuality, or hair color,” she remarked. “Art transcends hate. My work speaks for itself.”
Gascon’s rise to prominence has not been without challenges. She has faced online abuse, including death threats, and has been a target of anti-trans rhetoric.
French far-right politician Marion Maréchal dismissed her Cannes win, claiming, “A man has won Best Actress.” Gascon, refusing to let such remarks go unanswered, filed a lawsuit against Maréchal.
Her nomination coincides with a tense political climate for transgender rights. Just days before the announcement, former President Donald Trump signed an executive order restricting government recognition of gender to biological definitions.
Karla Sofia Gascon condemned the move of Donald Trump, calling it “shameless” and expressing hope for progress amid rising intolerance. At the Golden Globes, Gascon delivered a powerful speech, declaring, “The light always wins over darkness.”
Wearing a striking saffron dress, she spoke passionately about the resilience of the transgender community, emphasizing that no amount of oppression could erase their identity or existence.
In interviews, Karla Sofia Gascon has voiced her concerns about the socio-cultural challenges facing the transgender community, and she warned against the dangers of rising intolerance under Donald Trump, stating, “We are going backwards. New generations risk repeating the mistakes of the past. Be careful with giving power to the intolerant; it will erode the little tolerance we have.”
Meanwhile, ‘Emilia Perez’ has emerged as a cinematic triumph, earning 13 Oscar nominations—the most ever for a non-English language film.
