Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón made a brief but powerful speech at the 82nd Golden Globes on Sunday, giving a message of freedom for identity and resilience through discrimination and abuse.
The Spanish-born actor made Golden Globes history as the first transgender woman nominated for Best Female Actor (Motion Picture – Musical/Comedy) for her performance in the titular role. (Michaela Jaé Rodriguez became the first trans actor to win a Golden Globe in 2002, taking Best Actress — Television Series Drama for Pose.)
Although Gascón didn't win her category — Demi Moore took home the gold for The Substance — she was handed the microphone by director Jacques Adiard when Emilia Pérez won Best Picture (Musical/Comedy).
Gascón drew attention to the colour of her dress, a bright orange Saint Laurent gown designed by Anthony Vaccarello.
"I chose this colour tonight, the Buddhist colour, because I have a message for you: the light always wins over darkness," Gascón said.
"You can put us in jail, you can beat us up, but you never can take away our soul, our existence, our identity. I want to say to you, raise your voice, freedom, and say 'I am who I am, not who you want.'"
Emilia Pérez led in the film categories with 10 nominations, winning both Best Picture (Musical/Comedy) and Best Picture (Non-English Language). Zoe Saldaña won the award for Best Supporting Female Actor (Motion Picture), a category in which her co-star Selena Gomez was also nominated. The film also won Best Original Song (Motion Picture) for "El Mal."
You can check out all the Golden Globes winners in Mashable's list.
