Saldaña‘s Oscar win is a testament to the strength of her performance, one that Academy voters recognized despite “Emilia Pérez” being the subject of controversy, both because of offensive tweets from Saldaña’s co-star and the depiction of Mexico in the film.

For those who aren't familiar, "Emilia Pérez" is supposed to be an "avant garde" musical about a Mexican drug cartel leader named Manitas (played by Karla Sofía Gascón) who fakes his death to undergo gender-affirming surgery to become a woman. Saldaña plays Rita, the lawyer who works to help him pull it all off.