Zoe Saldaña took home the 2025 Oscar for Best Supporting Actress at the 97th annual Academy Awards on Sunday, March 2, for her role in Emilia Pérez — and her acceptance speech was one for the books.
Among the list of people she thanked were her mom, dad and sisters ("Everything brave, outrageous and good that I've ever done in my life is because of you," she said) and her husband, Marco Perego-Saldaña ("with that beautiful hair").
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But by far the most moving moment came when she paid tribute to her grandmother.
"My grandmother came to this country in 1961," she said through tears. "I am a proud child of immigrant parents, with dreams and dignity and hard-working hands, 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."
She continued, "The fact that I'm getting an award for a role where I got to sing and speak in Spanish? My grandmother, if she were here, she would be so delighted. This is for my grandmother."
In the film, Saldaña plays a lawyer named Rita who helps a drug trafficker, Emilia Pérez (Karla Sofía Gascón), fake her death and get gender-affirming surgery. Several years later, Rita and Emilia reconnect and begin a partnership as philanthropists dedicated to finding families and victims of cartel violence.
Saldaña was nominated in a category that included Ariana Grande (Wicked), Felicity Jones (The Brutalist), Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown) and Isabella Rossellini (Conclave).
Related: 'Emilia Pérez' Star Zoe Saldaña's Net Worth in 2025, From Box Office Queen to Oscar Nominee
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