Karla Sofía Gascón makes trans history as Emilia Pérez leads Golden Globe nominations

Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón is making history.

On Monday, December 9, she became the first openly trans woman to receive a nomination in a film category, according to ‘People’.

Gascón is competing against Amy Adams (Nightbitch), Cynthia Erivo (Wicked), Mikey Madison (Anora), Demi Moore (The Substance), and Zendaya (Challengers) in the best actress in a musical or comedy category. She has already been recognised at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival in May, where she shared the best actress award with co-stars Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, and Adriana Paz.

In the musical crime drama Emilia Pérez, the 52-year-old Spanish actress portrays Manitas, a Mexican cartel leader who enlists a lawyer named Rita (played by nominee Saldaña) to assist in transitioning into a woman named Emilia Pérez. The plot thickens when Pérez later decides to reconnect with the family she left behind. Emilia Pérez has received a total of 10 Golden Globe nominations, including best picture - musical or comedy, and best director.

Director Audiard mentioned to Netflix that he was inspired by Boris Razon’s novel Écoute, saying, “Halfway through the book, a transgender drug dealer comes along who wishes to have surgery.” He elaborated, “As the character wasn’t that developed over the following chapters, I decided to start my story there.”

Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldaña, and Karla Sofía Gascón dazzle in the trailer for the Spanish-language musical Emilia Pérez. At the film's premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in September, Gascón expressed to PEOPLE her gratitude for the movie's award recognition.

“For me, I don't know. What can I say? It is amazing for me,” she commented.

In 2022, Mj Rodriguez became the first transgender actress to win a Golden Globe for her role in the groundbreaking television series Pose.

Emilia Pérez is now available to stream on Netflix.