The actress, a trans woman, has been the recipient of critical acclaim since the film debuted in Cannes Fest, winning her the best actress prize alongside co-stars Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez in May.

Gascón masters two roles: one, a notorious cartel leader, and the other, a trans woman, Emilia Pérez, who has been receiving female hormone therapy for two years and is ready to complete the gender-affirming process by faking her death and leaving her life of crime behind.

“You can do whatever you want to win [the Oscar], if you’re not gonna win it, you’re not gonna win it,” she said. “I can’t do any more than present my work. If it happens, it would be wonderful for me as an actress — which is important. Sometimes, some people think they’ve given you the prize because you are from a particular community, not for your role, which annoys me.”

She continued: “I try to make sure what is happening has to do with my performance as an actress, because everything else is out of my control. I’m not trying to have false modesty here or anything like that, but I’ve done a role very few people could have done.”

“I understand the importance of my collective and the people I belong to, but the only thing that I can really do is act. I want the important to be there as well,” she added.

Gascón spoke about wanting to “applaud France” and Audiard for making a film in Spanish submitted for Oscar consideration. She described being amazed by how the French have opened themselves up to her work and the world of Latin America.

Gascón spoke with Saldana and Gomez about the bond they have created, their paths to the project, and how it’s already reshaping their careers.