Karla Sofía Gascón (Madrid, 1972) has gone from being a complete unknown in Spain - she left the country to build a career in Mexico - to becoming the actress of the moment. And all thanks to her dual role in the acclaimed musical drama Emilia Pérez, by the French Jacques Audiard, where she portrays a violent Mexican drug trafficker who wants to transition to a woman to completely change her life in the role of the supportive Emilia in the title. A process that the same actress from Alcobendas went through in 2018 when she left behind her identity as Carlos Gascón to become the woman she had always dreamed of being. A woman who is outspoken, spontaneous, and an activist who made history as the first transgender actress to win the best actress award at the Cannes Film Festival alongside her co-stars Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, and Adriana Paz. The film, shot in Spanish and also winner of the Jury Prize at the French festival, has catapulted Gascón to stardom, making her one of the frontrunners in the race for the Best Actress Oscar.
Zoe Saldaña and Karla Sofia Gascon in a scene from 'Emilia Perez'
How are you experiencing the huge success you have had with the film since winning at Cannes?
What really bothers me is that I can't sleep. It's the only thing that has me worried. I'm constantly changing time zones, traveling back and forth. I did Madrid-Los Angeles and Los Angeles-Madrid in one day, and the flight crew were like, “What are you doing here again?” It's very funny but very tiring, and I've been like this since Cannes. Imagine that. It's a physical disorder that I'm experiencing. But I see everything as a game. I've never taken myself seriously, even less so now. So I see everything from a pretty interesting perspective because otherwise I could also get lost. If you let yourself get carried away by these people and by everything that happens around you... That's why I'm somewhat glad it didn't happen to me before, although it annoys me because I've wasted 400 years of my life (laughs), but if it had hit me when I was 20 or I imagine people who get hit at that age, they go crazy and start to confuse reality. So if you don't have a stable personal life, you can get lost. I'm carrying a purse right now that's worth more than my motorcycle, so if you're not aware that it's nonsense, you run the risk of believing something you're not. Neither successes nor failures move me. The only thing that worries me is that I need to rest, and I'm starting to look into some melatonin treatment but intravenously (laughs). I swear on my mother I don't know how I'm holding up. Someday all of this will have to stop, or I will die. On the other hand, everything is very interesting.
A smiling Karla Sofía Gascón poses during the presentation of 'Emilia Pérez' at the Toronto Film Festival
Successes and failures don't move me. The only thing that worries me is that I have to rest”
Your name is being mentioned for the Oscars, does it make you feel dizzy?
To tell you the truth, I don't really care. Because it's something that doesn't depend on me. In this profession, two plus two equals six, so I don't know what will happen. It's a subjective matter of some individuals who may like or dislike what you do, or have friends in other places who have to vote for them. Personally, I would give myself the Oscar and all the awards, and I say this not out of lack of humility, because when I have done something wrong, I admit it. In this film, circumstances have coincidentally turned out extremely well, and I believe I have done an impressive job at the level of Hollywood actors like Al Pacino or Meryl Streep. I think it's a character that is very challenging for anyone else to portray, and that's why they had so many problems finding me. It took them a long time to find me, and me to find them, but in the end, we were fortunate to come together, and it was the beginning of this great adventure. Until they found me, they didn't know that this film could be made. It's a very difficult character. There have been many people who have done very interesting characterizations in cinema, like Javier Bardem or Joaquin Phoenix, who lose weight and gain weight, but to be honest, I can't picture Bardem or Robert De Niro in their prime doing what I have done in Emilia Pérez, and I feel very fortunate. I feel that I now have the ability to perfectly become the first actress who could work in the two current polarized versions of the human being without any problem.
Gascón made history as the first trans actress to win the award for Best Female Performance at Cannes, which she shared with her costars Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, and Adriana Paz
Do you think that since she spoke out against transphobic speeches at Cannes, she is being valued more as a symbol than as an actress?
It is a source of pride for me to be able to help a sector of society that is struggling because in most countries being transgender leads you to the street, to being rejected by your parents, because for families it is usually better for your child to be a criminal than to be gay. All these things make society shun us, and at some moments in my life, I also questioned my existence, what I could dedicate myself to. I am not cut out for being on the streets. I am very meticulous. So I understand many people who feel marginalized by society because I have been in that situation too. But because I am quite a warrior, I have had to carry the flag for this cause and for people who want to live freely and harmoniously without harming anyone, doing whatever we want with our bodies, because they are ours, and I find that wonderful. However, it is true that this is also used by the backward part of a global population to attack and belittle what you have achieved and focus on it as if it was given to you because you belong to a minority. What I do see is that a beautiful struggle has been created between a part of the population that wants something different, to live in peace and love, and other people who see me as public enemy number one in their existence out of fear that they believe they have of losing their way of life. We are always like this. But the truth is that human beings have a kind of rejection of what is different out of fear that it will somehow condition us. We have to accept it but fight against it.
You have suffered a lot...
Suffering is the foundation of human creation and growth. You can try to escape from suffering as much as you want, but in the end, you either accept it and take the positive side of it, or you let yourself be dragged down and sink. When it comes to art, movies, paintings, and literature stem from a conflict rooted in suffering. It's essential to reflect on why it bothers us so much when it can actually be the best starting point for evolution and personal growth.
Some people see me as public enemy number one in their existence”
How did you react when you read the movie script? Did you know that this was the role of a lifetime?
Yes, I understood that it was the most important character but you are also afraid of not knowing what you are going to do. If you are going to mess up or if the director is not going to know how to focus it. It's always an adventure and until I saw the movie at Cannes, I didn't know how I was going to walk down the stairs. Luckily, everything has aligned for us to have made a wonderful movie that people love. And my performance, along with that of my colleagues, is incredible.
Karla Sofía Gascón and Adriana Paz in a still from the movie
What Karla Sofía Gascón owes to Emilia Pérez and what Emilia Pérez owes to Karla Sofía?
I think Emilia Pérez owes me more than I owe her. Without me, I don't think Emilia Pérez would exist, really. I'm becoming more and more sure of that. I'm not even sure if I could repeat it myself. Right now, my biggest fear is my next film. Matching the level of work I've done in this one. It's the first time I see myself on a screen and I have nothing to reproach myself for. There is only one thing I don't like about the movie.
My biggest fear right now is my next movie. Meeting the level of work I did in 'Emilia Pérez'”
What is it?
I don't like the color that Jacques Audiard has placed behind me in the scene where all the characters are talking and singing that they have taken the children and the screen is divided into three parts (laughs).
What did the director tell you?
He has not listened to me.
Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldaña, and Karla Sofia Gascon during the Governors Awards gala in Los Angeles on November 17th
You were saying that you are afraid of your new project, have you received many proposals?
Yes, I have many projects on my plate. Right now, what I like the most is that I can choose what I want to do. I can't say anything about my next movie yet, but it's going to be really nice. I didn't want to get into something so intense because it was really hard for me to shake off my character in Emilia Pérez, but I couldn't say no.
Are you still living in Mexico?
No, I have a residence there, but now I live in Madrid. Well, actually, where I live right now is in the air, in the clouds.
I have many projects on my plate. What I like the most now is that I can choose what I want to do”
Did you always want to be an actress?
No, I found out when I was 16 years old. At first, you don't know what you want to be. And now I've been working in this for over thirty years. I've gone from performing for one person in the theater to performing for the entire audience at Cannes, with 2,000 or 3,000 people crying and applauding. It's very powerful and a beautiful hope for many actors and colleagues.
It has been a while since you last worked in Spain. Would you like to come back and film here?
I would love to because I have always had a thorn in my side about my country. I had to go work in Mexico and seek my fortune as if I were Christopher Columbus (laughs). I did very well there, but I also struggled a lot. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, it turns out that I have to start all over again, but this time on the other side of the pond, in the Pacific. I think my life will now revolve a lot around Hollywood. I feel like experiencing that a bit, even though Los Angeles is not my favorite city. It's flattering in a way, but starting over again is a drag for me as well. I worked in Milan a while ago, and adapting to the Italians was tough, adapting to Mexico as well. I think I am naturally positioning myself among the top actresses and actors in this world. I see Cate Blanchett and she greets me and congratulates me, and it's very nice. Julianne Moore is exactly like her characters, she's a woman who levitates. I adore Rossy De Palma, she is wonderful. The other day I met Demi Moore, and we were talking about very nice things, and I really like Mark Hamill. But I have to tell you, there are some actresses who are unbearable, I can't tell you who they are, they think they're God's gift to acting. You put them together and it's like oil and water.
