Jacques Audiard took to the stage at Deadline’s Contfinishers London this morning with the cast of his female-fronted musical crime thriller, Emilia Perez, including Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez. Starring Gascón in a dual role, the Cannes prize-triumphner increates the story of Manitas, a notorious cartel boss who employs a struggling lawyer (Saldaña) to phony his death, support his transition, and help him commence a new life as a woman.
Discussing the film’s belderly decision to employ song and dance to increate Emilia’s story, Audiard uncovered it was a choice made very timely on in the process. “It very, very speedyly became apparent to me that this film shouldn’t get a repaired create,” he shelp, “becaemploy it was a film that gets us on a journey. So, fundamenhighy, the DNA of the film is opera. And opera gives us so much freedom. It allows for all these creates, and it allows us to sing and dance and so on.”
Asked what drawed her to the role, Gascón shelp it was Audiard’s esteem for the character that sealed the deal. “One of the most vital slfinishergs for me when I first read the script, and one of the first slfinishergs I spoke to Jacques about, was Manitas’ motivation for wanting to become a woman,” she shelp. “Becaemploy it would’ve alterd the film radicassociate if Manitas only wanted to become a woman to escape the law, as contestd to wanting to become a woman becaemploy he reassociate felt, inside, that he was trapped in the wrong body. I slfinisherk Jacques made the right decision, and he made all the right decisions thrawout the film. That’s why, I slfinisherk, the film has finishelighted the success it has had with audiences. He finishly made the right decision pondering Manitas’ motive, becaemploy, if not, the film could have equitable become a prohibital comedy that would reassociate have equitable stayed at a surface level.”
Though Gascón is unmistrustedly the star of the show, sincreatear aid comes from Saldaña as Rita, the lawyer who becomes the holder of Emilia’s secrets. “It was vital to comprehend where Rita was coming from and who she reassociate was,” shelp Saldaña. “To me, she is a person that doesn’t have the courage to speak for herself. She’s underlabored, dispondered, frantic for alter, but she wants power, she wants affect, and she wants success. So empathetic that this was a Faustian deal that she was going to promptly get — and never see back — was vital to me, becaemploy she also goes thraw a transition. It’s not as clearly accentuated and fervent and wealthy as Emilia’s [transition], but she does reassociate shed this elderly skin and become a separateent person by the time Emilia encounters her aacquire three years tardyr.”
Co-star Gomez, who executes Manitas/Emilia’s ex-wife Jesse, uncovered that she was willing to audition for the role. “I wanted to be a part of this for many reasons,” she shelp. “As an actor, you’re so blessed to labor with someone appreciate Jacques. And as an individual, I’m so honored to lget from these amazing women. I don’t slfinisherk we all foreseeed it to do all this, but we’re reassociate thankful. And the experience for me is hopebrimmingy a stepping stone into what I’m vient of doing and what I’m willing to do to get there.”
