A transgender woman has been included in BAFTA‘s leading actress category for the first time ever.
Karla Sofía Gascón, 52, from Spain, has starred in the Mexican musical comedy Emilia Pérez, which depicts a cartel boss who transitions from a man to a woman.
The British Academy of Film followed the lead of the Golden Globes and Cannes Film Festival in including transgender performers in the best actress category.
It comes after BAFTA decided to introduce the gender-neutral title of ‘performer’ in 2024 for actors who did not wish to have ‘actor’ or ‘actress’ on their award.
It has been suggested that the academy is considering removing actor and actress categories altogether, but this has not been confirmed yet.
The Spanish drama Emilia Perez has come in second in the number of nominations with 11 BAFTA nods after sweeping up 10 gongs in the US award ceremony.
The hit thriller Conclave starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci and Isabella Rossellini has beaten box-office juggernauts Gladiator 2 and Wicked to win 12 BAFTA nominations including best actor and best film.
Gladiator 2 has yet again been snubbed by Award judges after it was shunned for Best Film and its leading man, the Irish star Paul Mescal, 28, failed to make the BAFTA longlist for Best Actor.
It comes after Ridley Scott’s epic was snubbed at the Golden Globes in the US earlier this month after it was nominated for just two awards and failed to take any home.
Denzel Washington, 70, who played Macrinus, was long-listed as a supporting actor but has been bumped off the nominations list by BAFTA judges.
British actress, Kate Winslet, 49, has similarly dropped out of the running for a BAFTA for her role as Lee Miller in the war photographer’s biopic after being included in the longlist last month.
Elsewhere in the BAFTA nominations, the Succession brothers, Jeremy Strong and Keiran Culkin will battle it out for Supporting Actor for their performances in A Real Pain and the Trump biopic, The Apprentice.
Strong, 46, is known for being difficult to work with on set for his ‘F***ing annoying’ acting methods – according to Brian Cox who he starred opposite alongside the younger Culkin brother, 42, in the HBO hit series.
This week it was also revealed that the Princess of Wales is set to make her biggest comeback to royal working life with a show-stopping appearance at next month’s Bafta film awards.
Insiders at the awards say they are ‘pulling out all the stops’ to ensure the ceremony marks Kate’s triumphant return to the red carpet after her cancer ordeal. Bafta film committee chairman Anna Higgs says she is ‘very hopeful’ Kate will accompany husband William, the academy’s president, at London’s Royal Festival Hall on February 16.
An insider adds Bafta is ‘throwing everything at securing’ Kate’s presence, aware of the worldwide fanfare her arrival will herald.
Kate missed the awards last year weeks before she revealed in a video message on March 22 that she was suffering from cancer. Before her video, the public merely knew she had been admitted to hospital for planned abdominal surgery.
William walked the red carpet alone at the Baftas.
