Spanish actress Karla Sofía Gascón became an Academy Award nominee on Thursday adding to her long list of accomplishments this awards season. Gascón received the best actress nod for her role in Emilia Pérez, the film with the most Academy Award nominations this year and almost in history.  Not only is Gascón one of four openly trans people to be nominated for an Oscar, she is the first trans person to be nominated in an acting category ever. Notably, Elliot Page received a nomination for Juno in 2008 prior to coming out as a trans man.

In Netflix’s musical film Emilia Pérez directed by Jacques Audiard, Gascón plays a Mexican cartel leader who hires a lawyer to help her disappear so she can transition into a woman. In real life, Gascón was known for her roles in telenovelas until she came out as a trans woman at the age of 46. Battling abuse and trolling, she wasn’t sure she would work again. When this role appeared, she put tremendous effort into ensuring its authenticity. In an October 2024 interview with Deadline, she expressed “They really created around me as an actress; they really used a lot of who I was in order to make sure that Emilia could be a true character.”

As of today, Gascón wants to be recognized for her performance. After receiving the nomination, she expressed to The Hollywood Reporter, “Today it is proven that art does not understand hate. No one can question my work, even less the fact that I am an actress.” The Academy Award nominee advised that she wants to instill hope in those who experience hatred: “They will never be able to take away our pride in our existence, they will never bring me down, I will continue to fight for a more just humanity.”