Hollywood is buzzing with predictions that Zoe Saldaña will take home the 2025 Academy Award for Best Actress, thanks to a jaw-dropping seven-year awards streak. The last time this pattern was interrupted? In 2018, when Emily Blunt won the SAG Award for A Quiet Place but wasn’t even nominated for an Oscar. With Saldaña’s recent SAG Award for Outstanding Performance in Emilia Pérez—Netflix’s 2024 controversial hit—the stars are aligning for her to make history. Here’s why the Avatar star is the frontrunner.
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Zoe’s SAG Win for Emilia Pérez: The Role That Changed Everything
Zoe Saldaña has long been a box-office powerhouse, but her role in Emilia Pérez catapulted her into serious awards territory. The film, one of Netflix’s most controversial movies of 2024, follows a mother battling cartel corruption in Mexico. Saldaña’s raw performance earned her the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance, a key predictor of Oscar success.
Why It Matters:
- Since 2000, 80% of SAG winners in this category go on to win Oscars.
- Saldaña’s win breaks her own streak of being overlooked for dramatic roles.
Fun Fact: She learned Spanish phonetically for the role—no easy feat!
The 7-Year Oscars Streak: Emily Blunt’s 2018 Exception
The Oscars love patterns, and here’s the big one: From 2010 to 2017, every SAG Best Actress winner claimed the Oscar. Then came Emily Blunt. In 2018, she won the SAG Award for A Quiet Place—a horror thriller critics loved—but shockingly, her role wasn’t even nominated for an Oscar.
What Went Wrong?
- Horror films rarely get Oscar love (cough Hereditary snub cough).
- The 2018 Best Actress category was stacked with heavyweights like Frances McDormand.
Now, Saldaña’s seven-year momentum—unbroken since Blunt’s outlier year—has voters eyeing her as the one to beat.
Emilia Pérez: Why Netflix’s Controversy Could Help Saldaña
Emilia Pérez isn’t just a career-defining role for Saldaña—it’s also one of Netflix’s most controversial movies. Critics either loved its gritty storytelling or slammed it for “glorifying violence.” But here’s the twist: Oscars voters adore buzzworthy films.
The Controversy Breakdown:
- Pro: The film’s bold themes sparked global conversations about justice and motherhood.
- Con: Some groups accused it of stereotyping Latin American culture.
Saldaña’s response? “Art should make you uncomfortable sometimes.”
2025 Oscars Competition: Jamie Lee Curtis, Ariana Grande, and More
The Best Actress category at the 2025 Academy Awards ceremony is shaping up to be a showdown. Saldaña faces fierce competition, including:
- Jamie Lee Curtis (nominated for her dark comedy Late Bloomer).
- Ariana Grande (earning raves for her musical biopic Dangerous Woman).
But Saldaña has two advantages:
- The “Overdue” Narrative: She’s never won an Oscar despite 20+ years in Hollywood.
- The Streak Factor: No SAG-to-Oscar snubs since Blunt’s 2018 shocker.
Why Voters Might Bet on Saldaña
- Netflix’s Power: The streamer has dominated recent Oscars races (Roma, The Power of the Dog).
- Diversity Momentum: After years of #OscarsSoWhite, the Academy is prioritizing inclusive wins.
- The “Full Circle” Story: Saldaña’s journey from sci-fi (Avatar, Star Trek) to gritty drama mirrors Halle Berry’s 2002 breakthrough.
Insider Take: “Zoe’s role in Emilia Pérez is the perfect mix of socially relevant and emotionally gripping—exactly what voters want.”
Could History Repeat? Lessons from Emily Blunt’s 2018 Snub
Emily Blunt’s A Quiet Place snub still stings for fans. But Saldaña’s team is avoiding Blunt’s pitfalls:
- Genre Bias: Emilia Pérez is a drama, not horror.
- Campaign Strategy: Saldaña’s doing more FYC (For Your Consideration) events than Blunt did.
Plus, Blunt herself is rooting for Zoe! At the 2024 SAG Awards, she joked: “Don’t break the streak again—unless it’s for me!”
