Zoe Saldaña broke down in tears as she accepted the Best Actress in a Supporting role Academy Award on Sunday, March 2. The moment marked a historic achievement in the Academy Awards ceremony as she became the first American of Dominican origin to win.
The 46-year-old actress admitted she was “floored” to have won the Oscar for Emilia Pérez ahead of Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown), Ariana Grande (Wicked), Felicity Jones (The Brutalist) and Isabella Rossellini (Conclave) and gave an emotional speech in which she paid tribute to her family and spoke proudly of being the “first American of Dominican origin” to win at the ceremony. This achievement follows her acclaimed performances in blockbuster franchises including “Avatar,” “Star Trek,” and “Guardians of the Galaxy.”
“Mommy! Mommy! My mom is here, my whole family is here. I am floored by this honor,” speaking on stage at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theater, she said. The Dolby Theater has hosted the prestigious ceremony annually since 2002.
“Thank you to the Academy for recognizing the quiet heroism and the power of a woman like Rita and talking about powerful women, my fellow nominees, the love and community you have offered me is a true gift and I will pay it forward. Thank you so much,” she continued, referencing her character in the critically acclaimed film that has garnered significant praise from critics worldwide.
“Jacques Audiard you are forever a beloved character in my life, thank you for taking the interest, thank you for being so curious about these women to tell this story,” Saldaña expressed her gratitude to the French director known for his distinctive storytelling style and previous Palme d’Or win at Cannes.
“To my cast and crew of Emilia Pérez, I am sharing this award with you,” she acknowledged her colleagues who worked alongside her in the musical crime drama that premiered to standing ovations at major film festivals.
“Netflix, Ted, Lisa, Bella, Why Not productions, YSL, thank you for your support. To my kick-ass team at CAA, my amazing managers and lawyers and the powerful ladies of the lead company, your guidance and thank you for always, always answering my emails late at night.” The film marks Netflix’s strongest Oscar showing for an international feature, adding to the streaming platform’s growing prestige in the awards circuit.
Saldaña — who has twins Cy and Bowie, 10, and 8-year-old Zen with husband Marco Perego — then grew more emotional as she spoke about her family. Perego, an Italian artist and former soccer player, has been married to Saldaña since 2013.
“To my mom and dad, my sisters, everything brave, outrageous and good that I have ever done in my life is because of you, thank you so much,” she paid tribute to her parents who raised her with strong cultural connections to both Dominican and Puerto Rican heritage.
“And to my husband, you have beautiful hair, you’re just … The biggest honor of my life is being my partner. You hung the moon in our beautiful sons, Cy, Bowie and Zen. They fill our skies every night with stars,” her voice broke with emotion as she spoke about her family, who have been a constant source of support throughout her career in Hollywood.
“My grandmother came to this country in 1961, I am a proud child of immigrant parents with dreams and dignity and hard-working hands and I am the first American of Dominican origin to accept an Academy Award and I know I won’t be the last. I hope the fact I’m getting an award for a role where I got to sing and speak in Spanish, my grandmother if she were here, she’d be so delighted. Thank you so much.” Her powerful statement about representation resonated throughout the theater, receiving one of the night’s longest standing ovations.
The historic win comes after months of critical acclaim for her performance in Emilia Pérez, where Saldaña portrayed a complex character requiring both dramatic depth and musical talent. Industry analysts have praised the Academy’s recognition of her work in a Spanish-language role, highlighting Hollywood’s gradually increasing embrace of multilingual performances and diverse storytelling.
Saldaña‘s victory represents a significant milestone for Dominican-American representation in Hollywood, with community leaders celebrating her achievement as inspirational for future generations of Latino performers.
