Zoe Saldaña had dreamed of working with Jacques Audiard when she learned he was making Emilia Pérez—his Spanish language female-led dramedy musical. Audiard had initially set out to cast women in their early 20s, before realizing the roles in his film required actors with more lived experience. He lit upon Saldaña to play Rita, an underappreciated Mexico City lawyer who is enlisted by a cartel leader (Karla Sofía Gascón) to help them safely transition into a new and authentic life. Selena Gomez and Adriana Paz also star, and at Cannes where the film premiered, the four women shared the Best Actress award. Now, in the wake of her Golden Globe nomination alongside Gascon, who is the first trans actress ever to be nominated for Lead Actress in a film, Saldaña describes her joy in being part of a project that is on “the right side of history” and what...