Zoe Saldaña had a biggest moment of her life at the 97th Academy Awards, winning Best Supporting Actress for her powerful performance in hit Emilia Pérezm.
But instead of just basking in the glory, the 46-year-old actress surprised everyone with an apology speech.
During her post-Oscar interviews, Saldaña addressed a Mexican journalist who said the film was “hurtful” to Mexican audiences, especially since Mexico was at the heart of the story. However, she didn’t shy away from the tough question as she faced it head-on.
While acknowledging the sensitive situation, Zoe apologised: “I’m very, very sorry that you and so many Mexicans felt offended. That was never our intention; we came from a place of love, and I stand by that.”
Emilia Pérez, which scored 13 Oscar nominations and took home two for Best Supporting Actress for Saldaña and Best Original Song, didn’t escape controversy.
Karla Sofía Gascón faced backlash after old tweets with offensive remarks about racism, homophobic, and Islamophobic resurfaced during awards season.
Zoe pushed back against all those criticism, explaining that the film didn’t mean to single out Mexico but to told a much larger story.
“For me, the heart of this movie was not Mexico. We were telling a story about four women, and those women could have been from anywhere,” she explained.
Last month, Zoe was honoured with the American Riviera Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, recognising her outstanding performances.
