Karla Sofía Gascón has made history as the first openly transgender actor to receive an Oscar nomination. The Spanish actress, known for her role as the lead in Jacques Audiard’s musical crime film Emilia Pérez, has earned a spot in the Best Actress category. 

Karla Sofía Gascón is a person of interest

Karla, who was born on March 31, 1972, discovered her passion for acting during her teenage years. She got her acting degree from ECAM and landed a gig with the BBC in London, where she worked on kids' language-learning shows. After making appearances on Spanish daily shows in the early 2000s, she relocated to Mexico in 2009 to dive into the world of telenovelas. Following her gender transition in 2018, Karla published a book under her birth name, Karsia, while revealing her new name. She’s happily married to Marisa Gutiérrez, and they welcomed a daughter in 2011.

Creating a legacy

In 2024, she shot to global fame after portraying Emilia, a notorious drug cartel leader who enlists the help of Zoe Saldaña’s character, Rita, a lawyer, to stage her death and undergo gender-affirming surgery. The film debuted at the Cannes Film Festival, where she snagged the Best Actress award, sharing the honor with her co-stars Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, and Zoe. This achievement made her the first openly transgender actor to win at Cannes. Later that year, she was also honored as a Chevalière of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and became the first transgender woman nominated for a Golden Globe in acting.

The Oscars and their journey with transgender individuals

Three openly transgender individuals have received nominations for the Oscars in non-acting categories: composer Angela Morley, musician Anohni, and documentarian Yance Ford. Actor Elliot Page was nominated for his role in Juno back in 2007, but he publicly came out as transgender in 2020. Additionally, cisgender actors like Jared Leto, Hilary Swank, and Eddie Redmayne have won awards for their portrayals of transgender characters in films such as Dallas Buyers Club, Boys Don’t Cry, and The Danish Girl.

In the Best Actress category, Karla is up against other talented actresses including Cynthia Erivo for Wicked, Mikey Madison for Anora, Demi Moore for The Substance, and Fernanda Torres for I’m Still Here.

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