2024 went so well for Zoe Saldaña that she’s become a little superstitious when it comes to predicting what’s next. “I don’t want to say exactly what I’d like to do or try to find something specific, because then I don’t want to create unrealistic expectations,” the actress told IndieWire over Zoom.
Saldaña is in an even more celebratory mood after her film “Emilia Pérez” and her current action short film “Dovecote” (directed by her husband Marco Perego) made the 2025 Oscar shortlists. one year… we could We wouldn’t have done this if we had planned it,” he said.
Her role as Rita, the passive lawyer absorbed into the world of a Mexican drug trafficker seeking gender-affirming surgery, in “Emilia Pérez,” directed by Jacques Audiard, has specifically been the culmination of things she has manifested in her career. in recent years. “I just felt like, at different times, ‘I want to speak Spanish in a story.’ “I want to dance at some point in my life.” ‘Oh, maybe a musical. It would be nice to sing outside the shower.’ But it wasn’t all one thing,” Saldaña said. “And then I remember always looking at Jacques’ work and saying, ‘God, I wish a girl like me could work with a filmmaker like that.’ Because their characters have always penetrated that way and then I couldn’t get over them for days and weeks.”
Well, Saldaña finally got to work with the French author. Perhaps unsurprisingly, her character Rita continues to have a presence in her life, with Saldaña sharing the Best Actress award with her co-stars Karla Sofía Gascón, Adriana Paz and Selena Gomez at the Cannes Film Competition, where “Emilia Pérez” premiered. ”. and was acquired by Netflix; Saldaña also earned Best Supporting Actress nominations at the upcoming Golden Globes and Critics Alternative Awards.
“I definitely saw her as an observer,” the star said when describing her role in the acclaimed film. “And I don’t know if it’s because Rita is incredibly shy. She is very intelligent. That’s his superpower. She is so smart. She knows how to find loopholes and defend people, whether for the right or wrong reasons, but she doesn’t know how to do it herself.” Saldaña added: “I also felt like she was a woman of color who is always asked to join a community, as long as she never forgets her place.”
Saldaña, who is of Dominican and Puerto Rican descent, was given the freedom to personalize Rita, incorporating her own experience “as the daughter of immigrants, shedding light on, also, the Afro-Latino experience in Latin America, how we are products of colonization . and classism and colorism,” he said. “I lived those experiences, of how the loss of identity of a community becomes a problem for innocent people. And I was able to get acquainted (and) identify with Rita’s suffocation, knowing that she has all this potential and deserves so much more. And yet, you may never achieve any of that because of circumstances you cannot control and never want to change.”
Starring in “Emilia Pérez” became a liberating experience for the actress who was previously best known for being a staple in the casts of billion-dollar sci-fi franchises like “Avatar,” “Star Trek” and “Guardians.” of the Galaxy.” ” With the unconventional operatic prison drama, “I went all in. I felt her spirit and I felt that many more people would find themselves in Rita,” Saldaña said.
That doesn’t mean she feels more than grateful for those other roles, they just come with less management. “When you’re part of big stories that don’t necessarily focus on your character, if you have so much energy and you believe so much, and you have all these ideas about how things can turn out, that doesn’t necessarily make it the project’s fault and it doesn’t mean it’s fault of the filmmaker,” he said. “Whether I played a big or small role, I always took it on with immense responsibility. “I cared a lot and wanted a lot more.”
Her work on “Avatar” with director James Cameron actually set the standard for how Saldaña likes to collaborate. “He was the first director who gave me a platform to fully execute a character from start to finish. And there was never a bad decision or a stupid question,” he said. “Whether my role was so small or so big, I felt very important. I felt so heard and seen. And my whole life I just want to find those people again and I want to work in those environments. Because I know that I am a very frank person, very passionate, very hard-working and I greatly love what I do. So, I just need to be part of projects that allow me to explode well with all this energy. That way, I don’t feel like I’m too much.”
However, as beautiful as those experiences were, they didn’t get the chance to share the screen with many other women. “When you’re the only one, a lot of things fall on your shoulders. You can’t make a mistake. Because if you’re the only woman, you really need to make sure you’ve executed it. (correctly),” Saldaña said. “Emilia Pérez” did not offer the same stressors. “When you are part of a brotherhood, we all carry the weight. So when you understand that, you dedicate your time and energy only to your character’s journey. You don’t overthink or sabotage yourself, and you don’t get in your way thinking, ‘Oh my God, did I look cute here?’”
And it wasn’t just acting alongside Gascón, Gómez and Paz that made “Emilia Pérez” a satisfying experience for Saldaña. Audiard’s ensemble offered all kinds of skilled craftsmen who helped her achieve success. Saldaña reflected on what it was like to film “El Mal,” the film’s central number in which Rita, dressed in a crimson power suit, punishes (internally) the criminally wealthy attendees of her and Emilia’s charity fundraiser, in an electrifying setting. composition by composers Camille and Clément Ducol. “What needed to be front and center was his anger,” Saldaña said.
At the time, Saldaña recalled being so focused on dance rehearsals with Damien Jalet that she questioned costume designer Virginie Montel’s request to change costumes and put on her character’s now-iconic red suit. “They just wanted to see what kind of lighting (worked with it) because even cinematographer Paul Guilhaume sometimes came to these rehearsals,” he said. “And then I realized that something was changing. Every time I put on this red suit, I think, ‘What the hell?’ I felt soft and gentle, and then, channeling a fire that I soon recognized, was Rita’s anger.”
Saldaña compares the scene to Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde moment for his character. “Rita finally had the chance to say, ‘Fuck you! Fuck you! Fuck you! Fuck you! You are a prisoner. You’re a fucking piece of shit. You are a whore. And she would never say anything like that. She wouldn’t dare. She always said, ‘Well, if you want.’ What would you like to do? This was his opportunity.”
Finally, Saldaña said: “I am very grateful that Jacques visualized this moment for my character. And I am even more grateful that he had his collaborators, his great conspirators, they put it together and included me in the process.” The fact that both her portrayal of “El Mal” and her work on the film itself continue to be a topic of conversation in the months since people first saw “Emilia Pérez” has been a welcome change of pace.
“For a moment, it makes me feel connected to humanity at a time when I really craved it,” Saldaña said. “I’m really proud of my journey and proud of the things I’ve added to my repertoire. And the only thing I hope is that I continue to be granted the privilege of growing and evolving in my life, not only as a person but also as an artist because now I know that I don’t want to do anything else.”
“Emilia Pérez” is now streaming on Netflix.
