Zoe Saldaña became the first American of Dominican origin to receive this award, offering key takeaways that could echo with women of color in their careers.

Zoe Saldaña won Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars 2025, beating Monica Barbaro, Ariana Grande, Felicity Jones and Isabella Rossellini for the award

Saldaña‘s Oscar win is a testament to the strength of her performance, one that Academy voters recognized despite “Emilia Pérez” being the subject of controversy, both because of offensive tweets from Saldaña’s co-star and the depiction of Mexico in the film.