‘Emilia Pérez’ wouldn’t work without Karla Sofía Gascón. Now, she could make trans history

AP Film Writer

TORONTO (AP) — Karla Sofía Gascón’s performance in “Emilia Pérez” as a Mexican drug lord who undergoes gender affirmation surgery to become a woman has brought her global acclaim and set Gascón on a path that may make her the first openly transgender actor ever nominated for an Oscar. “Emilia Pérez,” an expected best picture nominee, began streaming Wednesday on Netflix. At the center of the “Emilia Perez” phenomenon is Gascón, who plays both the menacing cartel kingpin Manitas and the woman, Emilia Pérez, who emerges after Manitas fakes his own death. The wild swings of “Emilia Perez” — a movie that has earned comparisons to both “Sicario” and “Mrs. Doubtfire” — wouldn’t be possible without Gascón.