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

Emilia Pérez actress Karla Sofía Gascón could make history at next month’s Golden Globe awards, as she could become the first trans actress to win in a film category.

Today (9 October), the Golden Globe nominations were revealed by actress Mindy Kaling, with Netflix’s Spanish-language trans cartel musical crime thriller Emilia Pérez leading the way with an astonishing 10 nominations.

It becomes the most-nominated musical or comedy film in Golden Globes history.

Its nominations include a Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) nod for trans actress Karla Sofía Gascón and, if she were to win, she would become the first out trans actress to win a Golden Globe in a film category.

In 2022, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez became the first trans actress to win a Golden Globe in any category, for her role as Blanca in Ryan Murphy’s Pose, after she bagged the Best Actress – Television Series Drama accolade.

Emilia Pérez, which also stars “Bad Liar” singer Selena Gomez and Avatar’s Zoë Saldaña in supporting roles, sees Gascón as the titular character, a feared cartel boss who fakes her own death in order to undergo gender-affirming surgery.

She hires esteemed lawyer Rota (Saldaña) to help her leave her old life, including her wife Jessi (Gomez) and two children behind, before re-entering their lives as Emilia. In the process, she sets up an NGO to help support the families of cartel victims in order to ease her own guilt, and finds love with Epifanía (Adriana Paz), a woman whose abusive husband’s remains were identified by the charity.

Despite a tepid response from audiences and critics, who have claimed the film places undue importance on the necessity of surgery in order for people to transition, Emilia Pérez has been an awards season success so far.

At Cannes Film Festival in May, all four of the lead stars won the Best Actress accolade for their roles in Emilia Pérez, with Gascón becoming the first trans woman to win the award.

Over the weekend, Gascón won the Best Actress accolade at the European Film Awards.

At the Golden Globes, she will compete against Challengers’ Zendaya, The Substance’s Demi Moore, Wicked star Cynthia Erivo, Nightbitch’s Amy Adams, and Anora’s Mikey Madison.

Her co-stars Selena Gomez and Zoë Saldaña will face off against each other in the Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture category, where Wicked‘s Ariana Grande is also nominated.

Emilia Pérez is also nominated as the Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy), Best Motion Picture (Non-English Language), Best Screenplay, and Best Original Score.

Its director Jacques Audiard is up in the Best Director category, while two of its soundtrack songs – “El Mal” and “Mi Camino” – are nominated in the Best Original Song category.

The Golden Globes will take place on Sunday 5 January.

Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.