Karla Sofía Gascón at the photocall for “Emilia Perez” at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. (Credit: AFP)
Three months after the announcement of the Cannes awards, which turned her career as a little-known telenovela actress on its head, Karla Sofía Gascón is promoting Emilia Perez, Jacques Audiard's latest fantasy.
In a daring, feminist return to the thriller genre, the French director cast the actress in the role of a drug trafficker searching for meaning in the midst of a gender transition. The first openly transgender artist to be crowned queen of the Croisette, she was awarded the Best Actress prize along with the film's other stars, Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldana and Adriana Paz.
L'Orient-Le Jour asked her to talk about her meteoric rise a few yards from a crowded beach in Palma de Majorca. With her serene gaze, easy chat and infectious laughter, at 52 years old, the belated revenge of a burn victim seems to have a sweet taste. Gascón intends to savor it between two combative tirades in her smoky voice.
You were the undeniable revelation of the last Cannes Film Festival. Can you tell us a little about what went on behind the scenes? How did you cope with the media whirlwind?
It was the most intense and stressful period of my life. The strange thing is that throughout the making of Emilia Perez, I wasn't anxious for a single moment. The fatigue waited until the day before the closing ceremony to show itself. Maybe it's because I'm so competitive. During the fortnight, all I did was watch the bookmakers and the press articles about my performance. I really wanted to know if we had a chance.
When I got the call to come back to France, even though I'd returned to Madrid after the main screening, I concluded that we were still in the running. I might as well tell you that when the Best Actress award was announced, I nearly collapsed! George Lucas, who was sitting right next to me, told me to get up on stage quickly and congratulated me. All of a sudden, all those great actors and celebrities I'd been dreaming about in my living room stood up. They stood up for me! It was unbelievable. If it wasn't the apotheosis, it felt like it.
Your speech moved the audience that evening, and was cited by the French press as one of the most powerful in 77 Cannes editions. Did you immediately realize the importance of this unprecedented performance behind the lectern?
Of course, as soon as I realized what was happening to me. While I was happy to see my work and efforts finally rewarded, this prize and this distinction weren't just for me. It was a symbol for an entire community that is still marginalized. I had to dedicate it to them, to thank them, to tell them to hold on.
Karla Sofía Gascón receives the Best Actress award at the closing ceremony of the 77th Cannes Film Festival. (Credit: AFP)
Alongside the accolades and greetings from the big names in the industry, you've also been the target of violent insults and serious threats, particularly from far-right political figures. How do you protect yourself in the face of this sudden torrent of hatred?
I'm usually pretty fiery and used to fighting for myself, but also for people who look like me and are treated unfairly. I often say that I'm the product of society's hatred. It's painful. There's nothing pleasant about it. If it were up to me, I'd have been on every talk show, every program where I've been reduced to nothing to make them understand what someone like me goes through.
But I have to focus on the positive, on what's good about this experience. I can't forget that I'm here today, facing you in an interview, thanks to those who fought before me. Those who made it possible for me to be seen, applauded and saluted. Like those great sisters and brothers in the struggle, I want to try to clear the way for those who will come after me.
Since you won the award, the international media have taken an interest in you, but not always for the right reasons. Do you intend to take action against publications questioning your trans identity or referring to you by your 'dead name,' the male first name assigned to you at birth?
Honestly and vulgarly, I'm sick and tired of this situation. Some people use my case to create more division, more hostility and resentment. Basically, it's assumed transphobia. In my dictionary, as in my Constitution as a Spanish citizen, it's not an opinion but a crime. I therefore take legal note of it, without giving it any further consideration.
With director Jacques Audiard as they climb the steps for their film in competition at Cannes. (Credit: AFP)
How did you end up in Jacques Audiard's orbit?
I ask myself the same question. What could I have done to fall into the world of this Picasso of cinema, this extraordinary visionary? I had to wait 51 years to meet the person who changed my life. I'm so grateful to him and to all those who whispered my name to him at a dinner party in Mexico; they're my fairy godmothers!
Did you help him assimilate the issues and stigmas faced by transgender actors and actresses in the film industry?
I tried to support him as best I could. All the bodies that differ from the norm, all that is perceived as “strange” or far from the standards of classic beauty, are still under-represented, despite the positive developments of recent years. Jacques and I have spoken at length on this subject, on the phone, in writing or over coffee. He's a filmmaker who's immensely respectful and appreciative of difference. Above all, he's someone who listens. That's become rare.
From left to right: Actresses Adriana Paz, Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez. (Credit: AFP)
What was your relationship with your acting partners Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldaña and Adriana Paz during the shoot?
Our relationship was essentially professional. The actresses in this film were all involved in building a healthy, caring circle. Of course, we were all aware that Jacques' vision could open new doors and perspectives for us in the industry, so concentration was at a peak and the stakes were high. Selena, Zoe, Adriana: In addition to being great actresses, they are also deeply human.
Would you be willing to tell us about your life before your transition? How do you explain the pain of being born in the wrong body?
I was lucky enough to be born shortly before the fall of the Franco regime and the end of the dictatorship in Spain. So I didn't live through that whole period. At a time when the country was opening up to the rest of the world, sexual diversity was just a frivolous notion, an uncomfortable subject. Growing up, I never knew that gender transition was possible. Today, the most reactionary [people] think that trans identity is a fad or a transmissible disease, but we transgender and LGBTQ+ people in general have existed since the dawn of time. We've just been invisible for ages. What has changed, at least in part of the Western world, is that we no longer hide.
Personally, I've always known who I was inside. Una mujer, mi amor! (A woman, my love!) But for too long, society, my family and my profession forbade me to be myself. I had to suppress who I was to satisfy them and keep working, until the day my fears finally suffocated me. I had to awaken and display the woman who slept inside me. I owed it to myself.
Before you officially began your gender transition at the age of 46, you were a telenovela star complimented for your ardor and sex appeal. Was it difficult to watch you on the small screen in your former guise?
I've never been embarrassed by my body; in fact, I've been grateful for it, because it's helped me land successful contracts. I knew how to use it and exploit it. But it's true that today, when I come across an old photo of myself, I don't recognize myself anymore, in the same way that I don't recognize myself as a child. I'm still the same. The only difference is that my outward appearance is finally in line with my inner self.
You've evolved professionally in the Spanish and Latino entertainment bubble, renowned for its liberalism. Did you ever come across agents or producers who advised you not to go through with your transition?
All the time! They told me that I wouldn't work another day, that I wouldn't have any more opportunities and that no one would ever come knocking at my door again. I was so scared. They put so many obstacles in my way, preventing me from living the way I wanted to. After a while, suffering and loneliness make you realize that you're only living for yourself. Even worse if I lose my entourage, my career and my loved ones. I preferred to live by being myself. And I don't regret it for a millisecond.
“Emilia Perez” comes out in France on August 21. (Rights reserved)
Well ahead of its European neighbors, Spain has been showcasing transgender personalities since the 1990s. La Veneno comes to mind...
Yes, totally! Every Spaniard with a TV set in the 90s was familiar with her offbeat, sometimes provocative universe. She was our voice for a long time, but let's not forget that each and every one of us has a unique story, a journey that's like no other. I, for example, don't identify with La Veneno. Our opinions and ideas about the wars we're fighting are in no way congruent. With hindsight, we can only salute his courageous presence on our screens at this time in our history, but I'm happy to see more than one vision told from now on.
In 2024, is Spain still ahead of the game when it comes to queer inclusivity in the arts?
Indeed, and do you know why? Because, in general, a country's cultural arena mirrors its legal system. Spain is legally very avant-garde compared to other countries, even if there are still quite a few problems. When justice is on your side, when those you vote for are too, change comes naturally and serenely. In this case, the Spanish nation is a benchmark.
More broadly, and for a long time, transgender actresses were confined to roles as sex workers. Were you afraid of being reduced solely to this narrative?
It's vital for us to be able to interpret something else. Of course, there is a social reality which means that, unfortunately, due to rejection or lack of opportunity and tolerance in the world of work, many transgender people are forced to turn to prostitution. Some do so by choice, others reluctantly to survive. But things are changing in real life, so they need to change in film and TV too. Why can't I play a lawyer? A pharmacist or a journalist?
During the filming of “Emilia Perez," a “powerful” experience for the Spanish actress. (Rights reserved)
Another debate is currently taking place around cisgender people who continue to be cast as transgender characters knowing that places are limited. What's your take on this Hollywood controversy?
I often contradict myself on this issue. I think that, as actresses and actors, talent is the only thing that should count. Nevertheless, if there were no “positive discrimination,” we'd still have white people in blackface playing black people. And as you say, there's so little room for us, we might as well take it.
When asked about your role models in film, you surprisingly list the names of actors renowned for their virility. Why do you see them as your inspirations?
I think it's because I'm a big fan of the 1980s, really. You know, those films about big, muscular guys with guns and knives. It's a guilty pleasure. If I adored Harrison Ford and Robert de Niro, I was also an admirer of Samantha Fox, I assure you!
Do you think the day will come when we'll be able to talk only about your films without mentioning your trans identity?
That would be the ultimate goal, the end of decades of battles. We're a long, long way from that. We still have a lot of work to do, a lot of flags to hoist, a lot of discussions and debates to have. In the meantime, I don't mind being an educator.
What do you hope for the future?
First of all, I hope to be able to continue paying my water and electricity bills by doing this job I love so much. Following the success of Emilia Perez, I've been offered some projects that I'll be able to talk about soon. Despite the cruelty of this world, I remain optimistic. Our lives are lives of struggle. Let's make them as bright as we are. That's what the obscurantists hate. Vamos! (Come on!)
This article was originally published in L'Orient-Le Jour; English translation was edited by Yara Malka.
