Why ‘Emilia Perez’ Director Jacques Audiard Wanted His Film to Continually ‘Change Genre’: ‘You’re in a Narco Movie and Then, Bam, You’re in a Telenovela’
variety.comElsa Keslassy International Correspondent Jacques Audiard has always been unpredictable. Throughout his 30-plus year career, the Palme d’Or-winning French filmmaker has delivered the gritty prison drama “A Prophet,” chronicled destructive passion in “Rust and Bone,” told a tale of Tamil Sri Lankan refugees in “Dheepan” and explored Westerns with his English-language debut, “The Sisters Brothers.” His latest effort is “Emilia Pérez,” a Spanish-language, Mexico-set crime musical starring Karla Sofía Gascón as notorious cartel leader Manitas del Monte, who fakes her own death to live authentically as a trans woman.
The supporting cast includes Selena Gomez, who plays Manitas’ tormented wife Jessi, and Zoe Saldaña, who portrays Rita, a talented but overworked lawyer recruited by Emilia to help her start a new life.
Audiard, who is neither Mexican nor trans, acknowledges that it was a wild challenge, but “‘Emilia Pérez’ was inevitable,” he tells Variety.
Since winning Cannes’ jury prize and an award for its female ensemble, “Emilia Pérez” has sprinted to the front of the Oscar race.
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