Fernanda Torres & Zoe Saldaña Make History at Golden Globes

Latinas are kicking off 2025 strong by reaching huge historic and personal achievements less than a week into the new year. At the 82nd Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, January 5, Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres won Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture in the Drama category, becoming the first Brazilian actress to win a Golden Globe. Additionally, Zoe Saldaña, who is of Dominican and Puerto Rican descent, won Best Supporting Female Actor in a Motion Picture, winning the first Golden Globe of her career and becoming the first Dominican American to win in the category.

Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres made history when she won the Golden Globe for her role in the Brazilian film I’m Still Here, which follows mother Eunice Paiva as she searches for answers following her husband’s disappearance during the military dictatorship in Brazil. Her win comes 25 years after her mother, iconic Brazilian actress Fernanda Montenegro, became the first Brazilian actress to be nominated for a Golden Globe in the same category. In her acceptance speech, Torres praised the talent of her fellow nominees, Angelina Jolie (Maria), Kate Winslet (Lee), Nicole Kidman (Babygirl), and Pamela Anderson (The Last Showgirl), and reflected on her mother’s legacy:

“This is such an amazing year for female performances—so many actresses here [who] I admire so much,” she said. “And of course, I want to dedicate this to my mother. You have no idea. She was here 25 years ago, and this is like a proof that art can endure through life, even in difficult moments… this is a film that helps us to think how to survive in tough times like this.”

Dominican Boricua actress Zoe Saldaña also celebrated a milestone when she won the Golden Globe for her role as lawyer Rita Mora Castro in the musical crime film Emilia Pérez, which centers on the complex and chaotic stories of three women, winning her first Golden Globe ever. With this, Saldaña also made history as the first Dominican American actress to win in the category. The film follows a Mexican cartel boss, Emilia Pérez, who undergoes gender-affirming surgery to begin living life as a woman and the chaos that ensues when she attempts to get back in contact with her children years later. It stars Karla Sofía Gascón as Pérez / Juan “Manitas” Del Monte and Selena Gomez as Jessi Del Monte, Manitas’s wife and mother of his children as well as Adriana Paz and Édgar Ramírez. The film was the most nominated film of the year with a total of 10 nominations and it took home four awards: best film – musical or comedy, female supporting actor for Saldaña, original song, and best film not in the English language. Saldaña was very emotional as she thanked her family, peers, and co-stars in her speech:

“Thank you so much to the Golden Globes for celebrating our film and honoring the women of Emilia Pérez,” Saldaña said tearfully. “Adriana, Edgar, and Selena, I’m sharing this with you, and Karla, no one other than you could have played Emilia Pérez. Eres unica. Reina.”