Zoe Saldaña Makes History with SAG Awards Win

Dominican-Boricua actress Zoe Saldaña is one of the most successful Afro-Latina actresses, best known for her roles in the Avatar, Avengers, and Guardians of the Galaxy films. Being part of the two of the most successful fantasy franchises of all time, she is the first actor to have four movies earn more than $2 billion and is the second highest-grossing actress. The 46-year-old actress has been reaching career milestones recently due to her performance in the Netflix film Emilia Pérez, earning the first Golden Globes nomination and award of her career. Now, Saldaña made history at the SAG Awards as the first Dominican and second Afro-Latina to win Best Supporting Actress. 

Saldaña won the award for her supporting performance as Mexican lawyer Rita Mora Castro in the film Emilia Pérez, becoming the first Dominican to win the award and the second Afro-Latina to ever win this award since Boricua actress Ariana DeBose won it for West Side Story. With this, Saldaña has won supporting actress awards from all major pre-Oscar Awards including the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice, BAFTAs and SAG, making her the frontrunner to win the Oscar for this category. 

In her acceptance speech, she thanked SAG-AFTRA and reminisced on getting her first SAG card in 1998 at the beginning of her acting career. Additionally, she discussed how the union has always allowed her to be herself and the importance of artistic freedom: 

“To be in this room…this is my community, this is my circus,” Saldaña said in her speech. “I am proud to be a part of a union that allows me to be who I am, and I’ve never been questioned about where I come from and judged by how I speak or what my pronouns are. I believe that everybody has the right to be who they are. Emilia Pérez is about truth and it is about love, and I think that us as actors, now more than ever before, we really have to tell stories that are beautiful and thought-provoking and live within the spectrum of artistic freedom.”

Born on June 19, 1978 in Passaic, New Jersey, Saldaña was raised in Queens, New York by her Dominican father and Dominican-Puerto Rican mother along with her two sisters. Her first major role was in the 2000 film Center Stage, and since then, she has starred in over 50 movies. Her most recent film Emilia Pérez, directed by French director Jacques Audiard and co-starring Mexican-American actress Selena Gomez, follows the complex and chaotic stories of three women and has been incredibly successful at all the major entertainment award shows.

At the 82nd Golden Globes last month, Saldaña won the award for Best Supporting Female Actor in a Motion Picture, making it the first Golden Globe of her career. Emilia Pérez additionally won four awards including Best Picture Musical or Comedy. In her emotional acceptance speech, she thanked her family, peers, and co-stars: 

“Oh my God. I know I don’t have much time, and I have dyslexia, so I tend to forget when I’m really anxious, and I’m filled with adrenaline, but my heart is full of gratitude. Thank you so much to the Golden Globes for celebrating our film and honoring the women of Emilia Pérez.”

Next up is the Oscars, airing Sunday, March 2, for which she’s also nominated in the best supporting actress category.