“Zoe Saldana delivered an impassioned speech (Picture: Rich Polk/Penske Media via Getty Images) Zoe Saldaña apologised to the Mexican community after winning an Oscar for Emilia Perez. The Avatar star scooped the best actress in a supporting role prize at the 2025 Academy Awards on Sunday for her role in the Netflix movie, which was”, — write: metro.co.uk
Zoe Saldana delivered an impassioned speech (Picture: Rich Polk/Penske Media via Getty Images) Zoe Saldaña apologised to the Mexican community after winning an Oscar for Emilia Perez.
The Avatar star scooped the best actress in a supporting role prize at the 2025 Academy Awards on Sunday for her role in the Netflix movie, which was plunged into controversy over star Karla Sofia Gascon’s resurfaced tweets.
After her big win, Zoe took the opportunity to also address the backlash from ‘so many Mexicans’ who felt offended by the movie’s portrayal of the country.
Speaking in the press room after picking up her trophy, Zoe told reporters: ‘I’m very, very sorry that you and so many Mexicans felt offended. That was never our intention.
‘We spoke and we came from a place of love, and I will stand by that. I don’t share your opinion. For me, the heart of this movie, was not Mexico.
‘We weren’t making a film about a country. We were making a film about four women.’
The accolade marked her first ever Academy Award (Picture: Michael Tran / AFP) Zoe went on to insist the leading female characters in Emilia Perez – played by herself, Selena Gomez and Karla Sofía Gascon — could have been from any background.
‘These women could have been Russian, could have been Dominican, could have been Black [and] from Detroit, could have been from Israel, could have been from Gaza,’ she added.
‘These women are still very universal women that are struggling every day at trying to survive systemic oppression and trying to find their most authentic voices, so I will stand by that.’
She noted she’s ‘always open to sit down’ with anyone offended by the film to have a ‘great conversation’ about how they could have done things better.
Meanwhile, Karla was actually in attendance at the Oscars, having been absent for award season, although she did skip the red carpet.
Selena Gomez and Karla Sofia Garcson had a brief reunion (Picture: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
