How the ‘Emilia Pérez’ Ensemble Pulled Off the Audacious Queer Cartel Musical

As we prepare for the 31st Screen Actors Guild Awards, Backstage is breaking down this year’s film and television ensemble nominees for your consideration. 

Main cast: Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez, Mark Ivanir, Adriana Paz, Edgar Ramírez, Zoe Saldana
Casting by: Christel Baras and Carla Hool
Directed by: Jacques Audiard
Written by: Jacques Audiard
Distributed by: Netflix

Until this year, septuagenarian French filmmaker Jacques Audiard was best known for traditional, straightforward dramas like 2012’s “Rust and Bone.” So how he came to invent a film as thrilling as queer cartel musical “Emilia Pérez” is anyone’s guess. The gambit paid off in spades at its Cannes premiere, winning the Jury Prize, plus a joint best actress statuette for Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, and Zoe Saldana.

Gascón made history as the first transgender actor to win in the category—fitting, considering how central her character’s trans identity is to the film’s plot. Emilia begins the story as Juan “Manitas” Del Monte, a fearsome Mexican cartel leader who presents as male but secretly dreams of transitioning. She hatches a scheme to leave her criminal enterprise behind and start a new life as Emilia. This means not only abandoning her wife, Jessi (Gomez), and their two children, but also faking her own death.

Selena Gomez in “Emilia Pérez” Credit: Shanna Besson/Pathé 

To pull off this scheme, she turns to resourceful, underappreciated lawyer Rita Mora Castro (Saldana). Though the plan succeeds and Emilia finally gets to live as her authentic self, she begins to miss her children desperately. She enlists Rita’s help once more, hatching a plan to return to Mexico City and insinuate herself into her family’s life in the guise of Manitas’ estranged cousin.

Audiard’s operatic comedy-drama is packed with visual energy—especially when characters break into song and dance—delivering on its vibrant premise without undermining the engaging plot. Highlights include Saldana’s “El Mal,” a rhythmic call to arms about ridding the city of corruption; “Bienvenida,” an embodied, full-throated lament from Gomez; and Gascón’s surprisingly restrained solo as Emilia wrestles with the sins of her past. 

It’s an impressive feat to pull off a film that’s part–lavish musical, part Tony Scott–esque crime thriller. Thankfully, the actors are engaging in every scene and entirely committed to Audiard’s audacious style. Adriana Paz brings presence and star power to Epifanía, a woman running from her abusive husband who ends up falling for Emilia. So does Edgar Ramírez as Jessi’s hardheaded new beau Gustavo Brun.

“Emilia Pérez” is a tough assignment for any actor, combining the conflicting demands of multiple genres—a transformative feat that mirrors Emilia’s own journey of self-discovery. The film is a veritable playground for these talented performers, who plunge headfirst into some of the most joyful, committed work of their careers.