Zoe Saldaña receives American Riviera Award at Santa Barbara International Film Festival
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Actress Zoe Saldaña was honored with the American Riviera Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Wednesday night for her acclaimed performance in Emilia Pérez, which featured both singing and dancing.
“It just felt like I was reconnecting with parts of me that I felt I had left behind when I left New York and came here to Tinseltown,” Saldaña said. “And the last couple of years, I had been having this desire to reconnect, but never in a million years would I have ever imagined it was going to come in the form of a Jacques Audiard movie.”
Saldaña received a standing ovation as she took the stage at the Arlington Theatre following a tribute highlighting her success in film.
The American Riviera Award recognizes actors with outstanding achievements in American cinema. Past recipients include Mark Ruffalo, Quentin Tarantino, Sandra Bullock and Brendan Fraser.
“I don’t think I’d ever seen Zoe Saldaña do these things in movies,” said Scott Feinberg, who moderated Saldaña's Q&A. “I knew she was a great movie star—she had been in a lot of really entertaining movies—but I didn’t know she could sing, I didn’t know she could dance. To be honest with you, I don’t think I knew she spoke that fluently.”
Saldaña is known for starring in some of the highest-grossing films of all time, including Avatar, Guardians of the Galaxy and Star Trek. She was honored for her latest film, Emilia Pérez.
“This is the star of Avatar, this is the star of Guardians of the Galaxy, and she’s overdue for recognition,” said festival Executive Director Roger Durling.
The film swept the Oscar nominations, earning a total of 13, including Best Picture—a record for a non-English-language film. Saldaña is nominated for Best Supporting Actress.
“It’s exciting that, you know, subtitles are no longer a killer at the Oscars. You should be open to any kind of movies if they’re good,” Feinberg said.
Saldaña’s Emilia Pérez co-stars Selena Gomez and Karla Sofía Gascón were also honored at the festival with Virtuosos Awards.
“It was just everything I had asked for, but in one story,” Saldaña said.
