Honestly, walking into a theater to see a Spanish-language musical about a Mexican cartel boss transitioning into a woman feels like a lot. It’s a wild premise. But the Emilia Perez cast doesn't just make it work—they make it feel essential.
Jacques Audiard is a French director who doesn't even speak Spanish, yet he somehow pulled together a group of women who managed to win a collective Best Actress prize at Cannes. That basically never happens. It’s usually one star taking the glory, but here, the chemistry is the point.
The Powerhouse Trio: Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, and Selena Gomez
If you're looking for the heart of the film, it’s Karla Sofía Gascón. She plays the title character, Emilia Pérez, but she also plays "Manitas," the fearsome cartel leader Emilia used to be. It is a massive, physical performance. Gascón is 52, and this role has catapulted her into the history books as the first openly trans woman to win a major acting award at Cannes.
She's magnetic.
Then you've got Zoe Saldaña as Rita Moro Castro. Forget the blue skin from Avatar or the green makeup from Guardians. This is Saldaña at her most raw. She plays a lawyer who’s sick of her life and sees an opportunity to help Emilia disappear. Her musical numbers are fueled by this frantic, desperate energy that reminds you why she’s been a staple in Hollywood for decades.
And yeah, Selena Gomez is here, too. She plays Jessi, the wife of the cartel boss who thinks her husband is dead. If you’ve only seen her in Only Murders in the Building, her performance as a "bratty trophy wife" (as The Guardian put it) might surprise you. She’s vulnerable, angry, and surprisingly grounded.
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Beyond the Big Names: The Supporting Players
- Adriana Paz: She plays Epifanía, a woman who becomes Emilia’s lover later in the film. Paz is a legend in Mexico, but this role introduced her to a massive global audience. She brings a warmth that balances out the grit.
- Édgar Ramírez: Every good crime drama needs a foil, and Ramírez steps in as Gustavo Brun, Jessi’s lover. He’s intense, as always.
- Mark Ivanir: He plays Dr. Wasserman, the physician who performs the gender-reaffirming surgery. It’s a smaller role, but vital for the plot's momentum.
Why the Emilia Perez Cast Faced Such Mixed Reactions
Look, the movie isn't without its critics. While it led the 2025 Academy Awards with 13 nominations—winning Best Supporting Actress for Saldaña—some people found the casting and the story a bit... messy.
There's a vocal group of critics, particularly in the trans and Mexican communities, who feel the film handles delicate topics with "shoddy song and dance numbers." Some Mexican audiences found the Spanish accents, specifically Gomez's, to be a bit distracting. Because it was filmed on a soundstage in France by a director who needed a translator on set, some felt it lacked true authenticity.
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But even the harshest critics usually stop to praise the Emilia Perez cast.
They managed to find humanity in a story that changes genres every twenty minutes. One minute it’s a gritty thriller, the next it’s a glitzy soap opera, and then suddenly, it’s a full-blown musical number about vaginoplasty. It shouldn't work. On paper, it’s a disaster. But the ensemble carries it.
The Awards Sweep of 2025
The momentum this cast built was unstoppable. After the Cannes win, they headed to the Golden Globes and cleaned up. They won Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, and Saldaña took home the trophy for Supporting Actress.
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By the time the Césars (the French Oscars) rolled around in February 2026, the film took home seven awards, including Best Film and Best Director. The Emilia Perez cast has become a symbol of a new kind of "prestige" cinema—one that's messy, loud, and doesn't care about playing by the usual rules of realism.
What to Watch Next
If you’ve already seen the film on Netflix and want to see more from this incredible cast, here is where you should look:
- For Karla Sofía Gascón: Look for her earlier work in Mexican telenovelas like Nosotros los Nobles. It shows a completely different side of her comedic timing.
- For Zoe Saldaña: Skip the blockbusters for a second and check out Nina or Out of the Furnace to see her dramatic range.
- For Adriana Paz: Check out the 2014 film La Tirisia. It’s heavy, but her performance is world-class.
- For the Music: The soundtrack by Camille and Clément Ducol is available on Spotify and Apple Music. Even if you didn't love the movie, "El Mal" is a certified earworm.
The biggest takeaway from the success of this ensemble is that audiences are hungry for something different. Whether you found the film "audaciously beautiful" or "borderline bad," there's no denying that this cast took a massive risk—and for the most part, it paid off in gold.