TORONTO (AP) 鈥� Karla Sof铆a Gasc贸n鈥檚 performance in as a Mexican drug lord who undergoes gender affirmation surgery to become a woman has brought her global acclaim and set Gasc贸n on a path that may make her the first openly transgender actor ever nominated for an Oscar. But on this morning, she鈥檚 feeling contemplative.
鈥淚 woke up with such a philosophical streak,鈥� Gasc贸n says, smiling. 鈥淚n life, everything can be good or bad. We are a mix of so many things. There are things that make you happy and instead they make you sad, or the other way around.鈥�
The dichotomies of life are a fitting subject for Jacques Audiard鈥檚 鈥淓milia P茅rez,鈥� a film that puts just about every genre 鈥� musical, crime thriller, melodrama 鈥� into a grandiose mixer, and, by sheer nerve, manages to coalesce into one of the year鈥檚 most memorable movie experiences. 鈥淓milia P茅rez,鈥� which began streaming Wednesday on Netflix, is widely expected to be a best picture nominee.
At the center of the 鈥淓milia P茅rez鈥� phenomenon 鈥� which began with 鈥� is Gasc贸n who plays both the menacing cartel kingpin Manitas and the woman who emerges after Manitas fakes his own death, Emilia P茅rez. Years later, Emilia contacts the lawyer who facilitated her transition (Zoe Salda帽a) to her reunite with her wife (Selena Gomez) and their children.
The wild swings of 鈥淓milia P茅rez鈥� 鈥� a movie that has earned comparisons to both 鈥淪icario鈥� and 鈥淢rs. Doubtfire鈥� 鈥� wouldn鈥檛 be possible without Gasc贸n. In Cannes, she and her co-stars which Gasc贸n accepted.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been insulted, denigrated, subjected to a lot of violence without even knowing why,鈥� Gasc贸n said that evening. 鈥淚 think this is award is so much more than anyone could imagine.鈥�
Now, Gasc贸n is to be nominated for best actress at the Academy Awards. At a time when trans rights in the U.S. are the subject of , Gasc贸n is on the cusp of making trans history. (Only cisgender actors have previously been Oscar nominated for playing trans roles.) But, when Gasc贸n sat down for an interview a few hours before the premiere of 鈥淓milia P茅rez鈥� at the in September, she was more inclined to gently muse about what might be in store for her.
鈥淚鈥檓 a little like Nostradamus. I like to think about what can happen. But at the end of the day, it doesn鈥檛 really matter,鈥� Gasc贸n says. 鈥淚f it does happen, I would be so grateful. It would be a beautiful thing. But if it doesn鈥檛, whatever. I鈥檇 go back to my old life. I鈥檒l do my grocery shopping. I鈥檒l play with cats. I鈥檒l see my family. Maybe I鈥檒l do other jobs and people will like those jobs.
鈥淚 like to go lightly in my life,鈥� she adds, smiling.
Gasc贸n, 52, is Spanish and lives in Mexico. She spoke through an interpreter but understands English enough to sometimes giggle and shake her head at her own words while they're being translated. She was a regular in Mexican telenovels before transitioning in 2018.
鈥淎ll people that live in a body that they don鈥檛 feel matches who they truly are do suffer one way or the other. But in my case, I feel like I handled it quite well,鈥� Gasc贸n says. 鈥淚 always tried to be happy with the life I had, even before my transition. Maybe I chose to do this job as an actor because I wasn鈥檛 quite happy with my life with the way I was before, so I wanted to experiment with other lives.鈥�
Playing Emilia P茅rez was in many ways a giant leap for Gasc贸n. She had to change her voice (she uses a Mexican accent in the film), work on singing and movement, and change her posture. But there were also things Gasc贸n shared with her character. Gasc贸n has a 13-year-old daughter from a marriage pre-transition with whom she remains close.
鈥淲e all find it hard to accept the loss of the people we love. You constantly try to get back your loved ones,鈥� Gasc贸n says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what I tried to implement in the character. This is what does unite me with the character 鈥� doing everything possible to get back the people you love. It鈥檚 been a constant in my life. And sometimes it鈥檚 impossible.鈥�
Audiard, the protean French filmmaker, has long specialized in films of transformation and metamorphosis, including 鈥淎 Prophet,鈥� 鈥淒heepan鈥� and 鈥淩ust and Bone.鈥� He initially balked, though, at having Gasc贸n play Manitas as well as Emilia. For Gasc贸n, it would mean returning to a male persona, something Audiard hesitated to ask of her. But Gasc贸n insisted. To her, the only kind of character she doesn鈥檛 want to play is a boring one.
鈥淚f I was asked to play Abraham Lincoln tomorrow, I鈥檇 love it. Bring it on! For me, the farther the character is from me in real life, the better,鈥� Gasc贸n says.
鈥淚鈥檝e met actresses who had a hard time stepping back and going through stuff that was part of their past. They would cry and take it badly. Never for me.鈥�
In conversation, Gasc贸n seems still tickled by the whole experience. She鈥檚 delighted that many people don鈥檛 realize Manitas is played by her. She laughs at how a movie about a violent drug lord, someone who鈥檇 normally be a villain, should inspire so much empathy. And for someone with a very big spotlight on her, she seems remarkably at peace.
鈥淚f I were asked to do my life over again, I鈥檇 probably do it exactly as it was, with all of it,鈥� Gasc贸n says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 wonderful that one gets to experience with these two poles, these two extremes. In a way, it鈥檇 be wonderful if all of us had access to this. Having done that allowed to me to better understand so many things that weren鈥檛 so clear to me before. In the end, what I realized is that we鈥檙e all the same.鈥�
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
