Marie Claire cover star Zoe Saldaña just won best supporting actress Oscar

Zoe Saldana Oscars Winners — (Image credit: Rich Polk/Penske Media via Getty Images)

Zoe Saldaña has just won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards for her role in Emilia Pérez.

The Marie Claire UK cover star opened her acceptance speech by thanking her mother.

Saldaña was the frontrunner for the award, thanks to her performance as a high-powered defence attorney in Jacques Audiard's musical crime movie. She had already claimed several major supporting actress accolades leading up to the Oscars, including a Golden Globe, BAFTA, and SAG Award.

However, the film faced controversies, particularly due to offensive social media posts from the film's lead star, Karla Sofía Gascón, which threatened to overshadow its success. Saldaña recently addressed the controversy surrounding Emilia Pérez and her co-star Karla Sofía Gascón, saying somewhat opaquely, “We are responsible for everything we say.”

Emilia Pérez entered the Academy Awards with a record-breaking 13 nominations—three more than any previous foreign-language film. The film's journey began at the Cannes Film Festival last year, where Saldaña, Gascón, and co-stars Adriana Paz and Selena Gomez jointly received the Best Actress Award.

Saldaña closed her acceptance speech by honouring her grandmother who moved to America from the Dominican in 1961 and recognising her role as “a proud child of immigrant parents. With dreams and dignity and hard-working hands,” Saldaña finished by saying, “And I am the first American of Dominican origin to accept an Academy Award. And I know I will not be the last...I hope!”

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Mischa Anouk Smith is the News and Features Editor of Marie Claire UK, commissioning and writing in-depth features on culture, politics, and issues that shape women’s lives. Her work blends sharp cultural insight with rigorous reporting, from pop culture and technology to fertility, work, and relationships. Mischa’s investigations have earned awards and led to appearances on BBC Politics Live and Woman’s Hour. For her investigation into rape culture in primary schools, she was shortlisted for an End Violence Against Women award. She previously wrote for Refinery29, Stylist, Dazed, and Far Out.