Selena Gomez has two words to describe Emilia Pérez: “audaciously beautiful.”
Gomez joined co-stars Zoe Saldaña and Karla Sofia Gascón, along with the rest of the cast and creators, on the red carpet on Monday, Sept. 30, at the 62nd New York Film Festival, where the film screened for audiences for the first time.
“I think for me, the message is about four women who are going through their own different transitions in life and figuring out what they want their life to be,” Gomez told The Knockturnal. “And it’s complicated.”
Gomez then gushed about getting to work with French director Jacques Audiard, during the two-month shoot. “Working with Jacques was one of my favorite dreams of mine that came to reality,” she shared, “He is unbelievably kind, such a hard worker, and he cares deeply about his work.”
Actress Adriana Paz also had wonderful things to say about Audiard. “Having the opportunity to learn and be with him on a set, and with Zoe and Karla, [was] one of the greatest and most important experiences of my life,” she said.
For actress Karla Sofia Gascón, the message of the film was personal. “We have the opportunity to open a lot of minds that are quite backward,” she said, “I think this film is so much more than a film—we have the opportunity to entertain, but also open some hearts.”
Zoe Saldaña shared similar sentiments about Audiard’s Spanish-language trans-crime-musical. “The movie is about finding your version of happiness, trying to be your most authentic self at all costs—hopefully without having to sacrifice your soul and your morals,” she said.
“This movie is about is about women that, beyond all the decisions they’ve made in their lives, are still deserving of love and freedom,” she continued.
Karla Sofia Gascón, however, likely won’t be opening her heart to future musical projects. “This is my first and I think this is my last!” she laughed. “It’s not my way, you know?”
Say it ain’t so.
Emilia Pérez, now screening at the 62nd New York Film Festival, will open in select theaters this fall, and then stream on Netflix on Nov. 13.