Karla Sofía Gascón has made history by becoming the first openly transgender actor to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress. She is praised for her amazing performance in the movie Emilia Pérez, directed by Jacques Audiard. Karla was born in Spain on March 31, 1972, and showed a love for acting when she was a young teenager. She trained at ECAM and started her career in a children’s program made by the BBC in London.
After working in Spanish television series in the early 2000s, she moved to Mexico in 2009 and starred in various telenovelas. After coming out as transgender in 2018, Karla published a memoir titled Karsia, where she shared her journey and her new identity. She is married to Marisa Gutiérrez, and they have a daughter born in 2011.
Karla’s big break came in 2024 with the film Emilia Pérez, where she played a powerful drug cartel leader who teams up with a lawyer, played by Zoe Saldaña, to fake her own death and get gender-affirming surgery. The film was shown at the Cannes Film Festival, where Karla won the Best Actress award, making her the first openly transgender actor to win at Cannes.
In 2024, she was also honored as a Chevalier of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and became the first transgender woman nominated for a Golden Globe award for acting. Other nominees for Best Actress this year include Cynthia Erivo (Wicked), Mikey Madison (Anora), Demi Moore (The Substance), and Fernanda Torres (I’m Still Here).
Karla’s success shows how diversity is changing Hollywood and highlights her incredible talent.
What is Emilia Pérez about?
Emilia Pérez is a crime film where Karla plays a drug cartel leader wanting to fake her death to get gender-affirming surgery, with help from a lawyer played by Zoe Saldaña.
What other achievements has Karla Sofía Gascón made?
Karla is the first openly transgender actor to win Best Actress at Cannes and the first transgender woman nominated for a Golden Globe.
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