Red Carpet Ready: Karla Sofía Gascón’s Journey to the Oscars
Picture courtesy: GB News
Karla Sofía Gascón has made history as the first openly transgender actor to receive an Oscar nomination. The Spanish actress is celebrated for her role as the lead in Jacques Audiard’s musical crime film, Emilia Pérez, earning her a nod in the Best Actress category.
Born on March 31, 1972, Karla discovered her passion for acting during her teenage years. After obtaining a degree from the ECAM, she worked with the BBC in London, contributing to children’s language-learning programs. In the early 2000s, she appeared in various Spanish television shows before relocating to Mexico in 2009, where she acted in a number of telenovelas. After completing her gender transition in 2018, she published a book under her birth name, Karsia, while also revealing her new name. Karla is married to Marisa Gutiérrez, and they have a daughter born in 2011.
Her breakout role in 2024 as Emilia, a notorious drug cartel leader who enlists the help of Rita, played by Zoe Saldaña, to stage her death and undergo gender-affirming surgery, propelled her to international recognition. The film debuted at the Cannes Film Festival, where Karla won the Best Actress award, sharing the honor with her co-stars Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, and Zoe. This achievement made her the first openly transgender actor to win an award at Cannes. Furthermore, Karla was later named a Chevalière of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and became the first transgender woman nominated for a Golden Globe for acting.
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Suparna Rao, Staff Reporter
