But, despite such power at the box office, the American actress admits that she is attracted to different roles, and reveals in this interview conducted during the French competition that she was looking forward to working in Spanish. Of Dominican origin, Saldaña has also released the series 'Special Ops: Lioness', a spy thriller created by Taylor Sheridan, the writer behind the series 'Sicario' and 'Yellowstone'.

If something is asked of a film at the Cannes Festival, it is originality.  That is precisely what Jacques Audiard, winner of the 2014 Palme d'Or with the film 'Dheepan', gives us. The French filmmaker triumphs in the 77th edition of the contest with a brutal proposal in which a powerful drug trafficker suffers from his need to change his gender identity. Starring Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gómez, and the Spanish Karla Sofía Gascón, who drew the loudest applause at the press conference thanks to her naturalness. 

Q: Zoe, with the success achieved in the cinema, why did you decide to play a television series?

A: I loved the character. I find certain parallels between my life and that of my character in this series, Joe. We both dedicate ourselves full time to what we want while trying to achieve a balance between family and work. I could identify with the pressure, the pain you experience missing your family when you have to be away and feel guilty for loving what you do. Taylor Sheridan approached me in 2020, when we were in the middle of the pandemic, with the script for the first episode and I couldn't put it down. It's been a long time since I read something so intense and so good. So I was instantly hooked. Then he called me and told me: if you like it and want to interpret it, I will write it to suit you. I want to write the series with you in mind as the character of Joe.  I didn't feel prepared to film this type of series. It took almost a year until I decided.

Q: Being a mother of three children, is it difficult to maintain such an intense work pace?

A: It's a sacrifice. But it is not only my sacrifice, it is also a sacrifice that my children make, that my partner makes and that my entire family makes because we travel a lot. But it works. The important thing is to live in the present and give yourself body and soul, recognizing your priorities. The important thing for me is my family and then what I do and my desires as an artist. I made the decision to start a family and get married, and the same goes for my career. I don't mind getting up at five in the morning to exercise if I can then have time for everything that matters to me.

Q: Zoe, you have triumphed in Cannes with 'Emilia Perez' where you work for the first time shooting the entire film in Spanish

A: Yes. I had been looking to film in Spanish for some time. Rarely do you have the opportunity for a role with these characteristics. I went deep inside. I was excited because it took me almost an exorcism to get out of character. I was bordering on a limit where I didn't know if the person was me or not.

Q: For Saldaña, 45, the idea of playing a lawyer in Mexico seemed almost natural. 

A: I have been living in Los Angeles for about 20 years, where I have learned to appreciate Mexican culture, plus I have family in Mexico. It is true that there is injustice and corruption, but that happens in all countries in the world. I feel great respect and admiration for culture in Spanish, for Latin culture, for Spanish culture, for Mexican culture.

Q: It's hard to believe that a French director understands Latin culture so well

A: I feel grateful for this opportunity that has allowed me unlimited creative freedom. Jacques uses this narrative to describe a series of problems that can be found in Mexico, but are also found in other countries. The important thing about this film is that it celebrates the culture of Mexico, which is so beautiful, so rich and so artistic.

P: I heard that Audiard wanted you to play the part of Rita in ‘Emilia Perez’. Did you have any reservation going in the the project

A: Yes. I’m from Dominican descent and I’m portraying a Mexican Character so I gave Rita a Dominican backstory. I really wanted to explore characters in Spanish. I lean into my team. I would love to say that I’m a one-woman shop. Sometimes, I can get in my own way. There are people that I trust. I’m a big girl, I’m wearing my big-girl pants. I’ve been wanting to work outside of the machine and work where art is growing

Q: Do you have any favorite Spanish author 

A: Absolutely. I love Gabriel Garcia Marquez. His two books: No One Writes to the Colonel and Strange Pilgrims are my favorites. These two collections of short stories have stayed with me—especially the story ‘The Trail of Your Blood in the Snow’.  It's about a young woman who's been educated and traveled to Europe. She comes home to a bright future. So what does she do? She falls in love and marries someone who's a disappointment to her family. The young man is passive, dependent on his young bride. On their European honeymoon, as they travel from Spain to France, she has a minor accident. Just when he becomes the husband she needs, she dies alone in a hospital. To me, this is the most gorgeous love story. The husband and wife truly loved each other, if just for a short time. It's a tale of a beautiful disaster. ‘No One Writes to the Colonels' has so many metaphors that I didn't have the maturity to understand when I first read it. But my stepfather is a journalist, and he took the time to explain to me that, for example, in the title story, the rooster stands for the sacrifice the Colonel makes in hope of a better future. 

Q: Do you still speak Spanish in your home?

A: Yes.  Spanish was my first language. Then you go to school, and within a month you're completely an English baby. But that's the battle you're always having: It's English out there and Spanish in the house. 

Q: Are your children speaking Spanish?

A:  Of course, they speak the languages that we speak; my sisters and I grew up learning French and speaking English and Spanish, and because of that, we're able to understand Italian and Portuguese. But I'm going to have to make a conscious effort to speak Spanish to my children, because I speak Spanglish.

Q: Are you still fighting for more women in power?

A: Yes. I think as women, we’re going to keep creating stories about us for us and forever, but we need more women sitting on boards, because they’re the gatekeepers.

María Estévez

Correspondent writer