‘Emilia Perez’ Stars Talk Push to Vote After Racist Jokes at Trump Rally: ‘I Definitely Want to Stand by My People’

variety.com:

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Following in the footsteps of Selena Gomez, who dropped her ballot off on the way to the premiere of “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place,” fellow “Emilia Perez” star Zoe Saldaña also cast her vote this week, the star shares while attending the Netflix co-hosted premiere of Jacques Audiard’s new musical at the opening night of the 28th American French Film Festival at the DGA in Hollywood on Tuesday night. “Emilia Perez,” an exhilarating Mexico-set musical crime drama, made history after its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, winning a collective prize for its ensemble cast of Saldaña, Gomez, Adriana Paz and Karla Sofía Gascón.

The latter, who stars as a fearsome cartel leader who embraces her true self as a woman and embarks on a redemptive path, became the first openly trans actor to win a major award at Cannes.

While “Emilia Perez” has been submitted as France’s Oscar candidate, Netflix, which bought the movie for the U.K. and the U.S., is splurging to campaign for it in major categories, including best actress for Gascón, who could become the first openly trans actress recognized by the Oscars.

The movie opens in limited theaters before its Netflix premiere on Nov. 13, shortly after the end of U.S. election season, which has seen Donald Trump and his Republican allies pushing violent rhetoric towards trans people and Latinos.