Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón makes Oscar history as first trans actress to be nominated
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Karla Sofía Gascón just became the first-ever openly trans individual nominated for an Academy Award in any acting category.
This morning (January 23), the 52-year-old was acknowledged for her title role in Jacques Audiard’s Netflix musical Emilia Pérez in which she plays a cartel leader named Manitas who seeks the help of a Mexican lawyer (Zoe Saldaña) to help fake his death and transition into Emilia Pérez.
Gascón’s 2025 Oscar nomination for Best Actor comes after her leading performance was recognized by the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
“Thank you so much @theacademy @emiliaperezfilm,” she wrote on X/Twitter today following her nomination announcement.
Speaking to The New York Times back in November, Gascón said she felt like her career was on the rocks after she came out as a trans woman in 2016.
“When I finished my transition, I didn’t know if I was going to have a career after that,” she told the newspaper.
Before she came out, the Madrid-born actor had primarily starred in Mexican telenovelas. But the trajectory of her career drastically changed the minute she auditioned in front of Audiard, the French film director and three-time Golden Globe winner.
Though Audiard originally planned to cast a cisgender male for the role of Manitas in Emilia Pérez, Gascón convinced him she could play both characters.
“I can tell you that from an egocentric point of view, I’m mad that people don’t realize it’s me playing both, but at the same time, I feel very proud, too,” she told the Times.
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The past few months have been momentous for the transgender community between Gascón’s recognition and Alex Consani winning Model of the Year at the 2024 British Fashion Council’s Fashion Awards in early December 2024.
Consani, the 21-year-old talent who’s fiercely walked every runway from Chanel to Simone Rocha, made history as the first trans model to receive the coveted accolade.
At the ceremony, Consani paid tribute to the individuals who’ve inspired and motivated her over the years. “I’m the first trans woman to win this award,” she said.
“But I can’t accept this award without thanking those who came before me, specifically the Black trans women who really fought for the space I’m in today — Dominique Jackson, Connie Fleming, Aaron Rose Phillips and countless more who fought for the space that allowed me to flourish today.
“Now, more than ever, it’s an important conversation that should be had about how to truly support and uplift one another within this industry, especially those who have been made to feel insignificant. Because change is more than possible — it’s needed,” she said.
