Karla Sofía Gascón Thinks Emilia Pérez Belongs in an Art Museum

Ten years before Karla Sofía Gascón won Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival—an award she shared with her Emilia Pérez costars Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, and Adriana Paz—she was a staple in Mexico’s telenovela industry. But when Gascón announced her transition, in 2018, she was unsure if she’d ever work again. Landing the leading role in Emilia Pérez was far from easy. She not only auditioned for director Jacques Audiard multiple times to prove her acting and singing skills for the Spanish-language musical, but she also petitioned to play her character, a drug kingpin, both before and after her transition. Initially, Audiard was looking to cast two different actors for the part. “When I know that I can do something, I fight,” Gascón tells W’s editor at large, Lynn Hirschberg. The rising star has already made history as the first openly transgender woman to receive a Golden Globe nomination for best actress, and may very well do the same at the Oscars. In the meantime, Gascón is just enjoying the journey.

You were born in Spain and have lived and worked in Mexico for many years. Where do you live now?

I live on planes. I started my career when I was 16 years old, and I am 52 now. I love my profession. I love to act in every medium: The theater is for respect, TV is for fame, and the cinema is a combination. It gives you history.

You play your character throughout her transition from a gang lord to the woman she becomes. Director Jacques Audiard was not sure if you’d want to play both roles.

For me, it was important to do both Beauty and the Beast, because I am an actress. I don’t want to give the beginning of my character to another actor. I fought to do this. And in the end, we are here.

What was it like to win at the Cannes Film Festival?

For me, it's amazing to win or get any kind of recognition. The most important recognition for me is the audience. It's also the first time in my life that I saw my own work on-screen and I can say nothing bad about my work.

You are getting a lot of praise and attention.

Yes, they are all my friends now: Nicole, Demi, Quentin, Steven! But I am in complete balance. Nobody can move me out of my real life. I only need to get the breakfast bill in one hotel in New York to say, “What the fuck? One hundred dollars for two eggs!” I return to my normal life automatically.

You have a lot of red carpets ahead of you. Do you enjoy dressing up for all of these events?

I love fashion, but I love putting on whatever I want. I don’t like when people say to me, “You need to wear…” The fashion sometimes is an imposition. I want to go to the red carpet in my pajamas. That is my dream.

Emilia Pérez is a musical. Do you like to sing?

I don’t like musicals. For me, they are boring. But my movie is art! For the Guggenheim! It is not only a musical, not only a romance, not only a thriller, not only an action film. My movie is the best movie in the history of cinema.

Do you dream in Spanish or English?

I can’t dream. I go to bed and pass out. For three hours. Then I wake up and say, “Where’s the flash? Where’s the red carpet? I need, I need.” [Laughs]

Style Director: Allia Alliata di Montereale. Hair for portfolio by Paul Hanlon at Dawes & Co.; makeup for portfolio by Sam Visser at Art Partner; manicures for portfolio by Michelle Saunders James. Set design by Gerard Santos at Lalaland.

Creative producer to Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott: Leonard Cuinet-Petit at January Productions; producer to Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott: Kevin Isabelle; produced by AP Studio, Inc.; executive producer: Alexis Piqueras; producer: Anneliese Kristedja; associate producer: Kimmy D’Ancona; production manager: Hayley Stephon; production coordinators: Miranda Dos Santos, Susan Lucas; photography assistants: John Neate, Jed Barnes, Chris Whitaker, Kendall Peck; digital technician: Niccolo Pacilli; digital assistant: Cassian Gray; postproduction by Dreamer Post Production; fashion assistants: Tyler VanVranken, Molly Cody, Celeste Roh, Raea Palmieri, Tatiana Isshac, Haleigh Nickerson, Lauren Marron, Savannah Steilner, Sage McKee, Frankie Benkovic, Kaley Azambuja, Tatum Sanchez; production assistants: Gigi Rosenfield, Lily Cordingley, Eli Cash, Lex Vaughn, Anderson Renno, Kat Saravia, Kyle Dekker, Wyatt Noble, Brandon Martin, Moose Krupski, Josh Muwwakkil, Bradley Gonsalves, Drew Carter, Thomas Lynch, Alex Kofman, Jackson Schrader, Anatalia Zavaleta, Joseph Wride, Matt Flynn; first AD: Steve Kemp; location manager: Kyle Hollinger; hair assistants: Kim Garduno, Ben Gregory, Marco Iafrate, Hyacinthia Faustino, Chris Foster; makeup assistants: Shimu Takanori, Laura Dudley, Brian Dean, Beatrice Sandoval; manicure assistant: Cheyenne Vander Schuur; set design assistants: Seth Powsner, Denver Stoddard, Ryan Johnson; tailors: Irina Tshartaryan, Ripsime Vartanyan, Jackie Martirosyan at Susie’s Custom Designs, Inc.