Zoe Saldaña,the runaway favorite, has won Best Supporting Actress at the 97th Academy Awards for her standout performance inEmilia Pérez.Saldaña plays Rita Mora Castro, a high-powered junior criminal defense attorney. Rita is recruited by a notorious cartel leader, who seeks her assistance in faking his death to transition into the woman he has always wanted to be, adopting the identity of Emilia Pérez.
Saldaña triumphed over fellow nomineesMonica Barbaro(A Complete Unknown),Ariana Grande(Wicked),Felicity Jones(The Brutalist), andIsabella Rossellini(Conclave), and to Saldaña’s credit, she managed to stay the course and secure the award despite the furore and controversy over her co-starKarla Sofia Gascón, whose online activities had dragged the movie’s name through the mud in the run-up to the awards circuit. While that hurt Gascón’s chances, Saldaña was unharmed and took home a well-deserved Oscar.
A History of Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars
The Best Supporting Actress category at theAcademy Awardshas honored some of the most iconic and scene-stealing performances in film history. Introduced at the 9th Academy Awards in 1937, this category recognizesactresses who deliver powerful performances in a supporting role, often providing emotional depth, conflict, or humor to the story on Hollywood’s biggest night.
The first-ever Best Supporting Actress winner wasGale SondergaardforAnthony Adversein 1937. Over the years, legendary actresses such asMeryl Streep, Dianne Wiest, Whoopi Goldberg, andViola Davishave won for performances that left a lasting impact, while Wiest andShelley Winterseach hold the record for the most wins in this category, with two Oscars apiece.
In recent years, the award has recognized a wide range of performances, from dramatic turns in historical films and biopics to comedic and genre roles.At last year’s 96th Academy Awards,Da’Vine Joy Randolphwon for her standout performance inThe Holdoversas a grieving mother who had recently lost her son, but who found a family over the course of a Christmas holiday at a boarding school in the 1970s.
The term supporting actor or actress doesn’t just mean supporting the leading stars, but also helping to carry the weight of the movie, and this year, the category continues to showcase the most amazing talent who all prove that supporting performances can be just asunforgettable and award-worthy as leading roles. Whether playing a best friend, a dangerous enemy, or a figure lurking in the shadows, Best Supporting Actress winners have consistently shaped cinema’s most memorable moments.
Stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage from the 97th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California.
Emilia Perez
