What IsEmilia PérezBased On? All About the Surprising Inspiration Behind the Star-Studded Netflix Film — and How One Actress Made It Happen

Mar. 15, 2025

Selena Gomez as Jessi in Emilia Pérez.Photo:PAGE 114/WHY NOT PRODUCTIONS/PATHÉ FILMS/FRANCE 2 CINÉMA

PAGE 114/WHY NOT PRODUCTIONS/PATHÉ FILMS/FRANCE 2 CINÉMA

The plot ofEmilia Pérezis so grand that even the cast had a hard time pinning it down.

“You have an action movie that’s not an action movie, a drama that’s not a drama, a comedy that’s not a comedy,” lead actress Karla Sofía Gascón toldTudumin November 2024. “It is such a great gift, and I’m so proud to be part of it.”

Gascón stars as Manitas, a Mexican cartel leader who hires a lawyer named Rita (Zoe Saldaña) to help him transition into living as a woman named Emilia Pérez. Things get even more complicated when Pèrez decides years later that she wants to reunite with the family she left behind.

Emilia Pérezalso became the most-awarded film of the year at the2025 Golden Globes. The movie scored four wins at the awards, including best motion picture - musical or comedy.

The film continued to find awards season success ahead of the 2025 Academy Awards, whenEmilia Pérezbecame themost nominated non-English language filmin Oscars history with 13 total, including best picture. The Oscars are set to air on March 2.

But, isEmilia Pèrezbased on a true story? Here’s everything to know about the inspiration behind the inventive musical.

What isEmilia Pérezbased on?

Karla Sofía Gascón.PAGE 114/WHY NOT PRODUCTIONS/PATHÉ FILMS/FRANCE 2 CINÉMA

“Halfway through, there is a character who is a drug kingpin who wants to transition to become a woman,” Audiard toldW Magazinein October 2024. “The author, who is a friend of mine, did not develop this character. I asked for the right to expand the character myself.”

Originally, the director wroteEmilia Pérezas an opera with four acts and “one-dimensional, archetypal” characters while in lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. Audiard toldW Magazinethat there are still “small traces” of that in the film. For her part, Saldaña had to read the script multiple times to wrap her head around it.

“It was described to me as this film noir that didn’t really exist in any of the conventional kind of genres, but it was a musical,” theGuardians of the Galaxystar told Tudum. “It was actually an opera, and based in a crime world, but there was going to be a sense of justice, and validation, and sanctification.”

“And I was just like, ‘What?’ I had to read it more than once. And then, I couldn’t stop thinking about it,” she added.

Is Emilia Pérez a real person?

Karla Sofía Gascôn and Zoe Saldaña.PAGE 114/WHY NOT PRODUCTIONS/PATHÉ FILMS/FRANCE 2 CINÉMA

No, Emilia Pérez is not a real person. The character is based on another fictional character from Razon’s novelÉcoute.

While Gascón’s life is a very far cry from her character’s work as a drug lord, the actress does understand Pérez’s journey. After building a career as a male star of telenovelas, the actress transitioned in 2018 with the support of her wife, Marisa Gutiérrez, and teenage daughter.

“The biggest thing [Pérez and I] have in common is that we’re both unable to accept losing people we love,” the actress toldVoguein November 2024, adding: “It’s a difficult thing to say, but I connected to Manitas and Emilia because we’re all born out of people’s hatred.”

In May 2024, Gascón made history as the first transgender woman to win best actress at the Cannes Film Festival for her portrayal of Pérez.

Does Karla Sofía Gascón play both Manitas and Pérez?

Karla Sofía Gascón and Adriana Paz.Shanna Besson/PAGE 114/WHY NOT PRODUCTIONS/PATHÉ FILMS/FRANCE 2 CINÉMA

Shanna Besson/PAGE 114/WHY NOT PRODUCTIONS/PATHÉ FILMS/FRANCE 2 CINÉMA

“I don’t think I would’ve forgiven myself,” she toldHarper’s Bazaarin November 2024. “Seeing somebody different, even if they had tried to find someone that physically looked like me, it would’ve been ugly to see how someone else stayed with part of my character’s soul. I think I would’ve had a problem with my ego.”

The director also rewrote a few scenes based on Gascón’s input and toldW Magazinethat he wouldn’t have made the film if he hadn’t met her.

IsEmilia Péreza musical?

Karla Sofia Gascon in Emilia Perez trailer.Shanna Besson/PAGE 114

Shanna Besson/PAGE 114

During the Telluride Film Festival in September, Gomez revealed that “Mi Camino” was a “totally different song” whenshe started working on itwith Camille.

“It had a bit more of a rough sound to it and over the course of, you know, working with Camille on the song intimately, it became almost like a ballad,” she said. “It was more of a story about a woman and phases of life that she goes through and it just was beautiful.”

source: people.com