Selena Gomez has given her career-best performance in the upcoming Jacques Audiard crime comedy movie Emilia Pérez. The film is based on the helmer’s opera libretto of the same name, which is itself an adaptation of Boris Razon’s 2018 novel Ecoute. A large portion of her fanbase has started campaigning for the actress in the Best Supporting Actress category at next year’s Academy Awards.
Gomez and other leading ladies, including Zoe Saldana, Adriana Paz, and Karla Sofia Gascon, have bagged the Best Actress Ensemble award at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, which is a significant accolade for Gomez, especially given how much criticism she has endured over the years for her acting talents. The actress and singer plays a key supporting character, Jessi Del Monte, wife of cartel kingpin Manitas (played by Gascon), in the film.
Despite getting the least amount of screen time among the leading trio (including Saldana and Gascon), Gomez stands out with her compelling, raw, and hard-hitting portrayal of Jessi. The way she collides with Manitas during the movie’s climax is amazing to watch. She steals every scene she is in.
In addition, Gomez has sung two original songs for Emilia Pérez, and one of those tracks, “Mi Camino,” is gaining tremendous prominence online. This means that the actress has a strong chance of getting a nomination for Best Original Song as well.
Gomez rose to fame with Disney’s Wizards of Waverly Place series as Alex Russo. However, fans were able to see her acting depth for the first time in Spring Breakers (2012), in which she starred alongside James Franco and Vanessa Hudgens. She also voiced Maria Dracula-Loughran in all of the Hotel Transylvania movies. She further honed her acting skills in the critically acclaimed Only Murders in the Building series, starring alongside Martin Short and Steve Martin.
However, we must keep in mind that the odds of Selena Gomez getting a Best Supporting Actress nomination at next year’s Oscars are not great, as her screen partner from Emilia Pérez, Zoe Saldana, has more screentime and has gained more attention for her performance as Rita Mora Castro. Variety has even named Saldana as one of the frontrunners for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Let’s see what happens.
Emilia Pérez is now streaming in the US, the UK, and Canada. It will take a while to be released globally on Netflix. Stay tuned for more updates.
Check out some of the tweets below supporting Selena Gomez!