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Saldaña, who was born in Passaic, won for her performance as a lawyer struggling with her conscience in "Emilia Perez," a movie about the leader of a drug cartel who after transitioning to a woman, decides to start doing good in the world. This is her first Oscar win and nomination.
"Emilia Perez" has generated numerous controversies, especially after inflammatory tweets from its star, Karla Sofía Gascón resurfaced, where she criticized Muslims, diversity and George Floyd. Saldaña condemned the comments, saying "I don’t have any tolerance for any negative rhetoric towards people of any group."
But she managed to rise above the negative headlines the film generated, winning a Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award and British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award leading up to the show.
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