Selena Gomez & Zoe Saldaña share a message of love and support for the trans community
Netflix‘s sweeping, soaring queer musical Emilia Pérez.While Gomez has been in the spotlight most her life (she’s still one of the most-followed people on Instagram) with multiple chart-topping hit songs and a screen career that ranges from The Wizards Of Waverly Place to Only Murders In The Building, she’s never been as raw and vulnerable as she is in Emilia Pérez playing Jessi, the ex-wife of a feared cartel boss she’s long thought dead.And then there’s Saldaña, a blockbuster star considered one of the highest-grossing actors ever thanks to her roles in the Marvel Universe, the Avatar series, and the most recent run of Star Trek films.
Though we’ve seen her dance in the movies before (shout out Center Stage!), the way she commits her whole body to performance here will blow you away, playing Rita, the lawyer who helps that same cartel boss fake their death and transition to finally live openly as a woman.Subscribe to our newsletter for your front-row seat to all things entertainment with a sprinkle of everything else queer.Beyond the chance to sink their teeth into these juicy roles, both actors saw the film as an opportunity for them to show up—not just for their trans co-star Karla Sofía Gascón (who gives an unforgettable breakthrough performance as the titular character), but for the trans community as a whole.After a world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival where Gascón, Gomez, Saldaña, and Adriana Paz were jointly awarded a history-making Best Actress prize, Emilia Pérez has enjoyed a buzzy festival run where it’s been hotly tipped to make a splash at the Oscars and now arrives on Netflix—not incidentally—during Transgender Awareness Week.Given the reach of a global streamer like Netflix and the attention the star power of Gomez and Saldaña will no doubt bring to the film, Queerty spoke to the pair about want it means for them to use their platform to send a message of love and support to trans people everywhere in what can feel like dark, scary times.Karla.
