On Thursday, Jan 23, the nominations for the Oscars 2025 were announced, and this year's list was dominated by Jacques Audiard's Emilia Pérez, a film in Spanish language. The movie led the race with 13 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Karla Sofía Gascón, and Best Supporting Actress for Zoe Saldana.
Karla Sofía Gascón made history by becoming the first openly trans actress to be nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Actress category. In the highly acclaimed movie, Gascón plays the role of Juan "Manitas" Del Monte, a Mexican drug kingpin.
Despite the backlash over the lack of Mexican representation, the cast received praise for performances. Gascón's historic Oscar nomination follows the movie's win at the Golden Globe Awards for Best Film, Musical or Comedy.
In her acceptance speech, Gascón said, "I have a message for you: The light always wins over darkness." She added, "I have a lot to say to you because you can maybe put us in jail, you can beat us up, but you can never take away our soul, our existence, and our identity."
Here's a look at Karla Sofía Gascón's career:
Early Life and Education
Gascón was born on March 31, 1972, in Alcobendas, Spain. She developed a passion for acting at a young age and decided to pursue it as a career at 16. Gascón earned an acting degree from the ECAM.
Also read: The Brutalist star Adrien Brody opens up about his Oscar-nominated role: 'It was an honour'
Career
Gascón began her career in 1995, appearing in the Spanish daily soap opera El super. She went on to work in various shows and movies, including Calle Nueva, Buscan fulmontis, Me da igual, Box 507, and Say I Do.
In 2009, Gascón moved to Mexico and appeared in several Mexican telenovelas and box-office hits like The Noble Family (2013) and El Señor de los Cielos (2014).
Transition and autobiography
In 2016, Gascón publicly came out as a trans woman. Speaking about her transition, she told The New York Times, "When I finished my transition, I didn’t know if I was going to have a career after that."
In 2018, Gascón published her autobiography, "Karsia, Una historia extraordinaria" (Karsia: An Extraordinary Story).
Also read: Oscar Awards 2025: Guneet Monga's Anuja gets a nod, Emilia Perez leads the noms; see full list here
Personal Life
Gascón is married to Marisa Gutiérrez, whom she met at 19 in her hometown. They have a daughter, born in 2011.