Zoe Saldaña has won her first Academy Award, taking home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Emilia Pérez. The win caps off an impressive awards season, where she also earned top honors at the Golden Globes, BAFTAs, Critics Choice Awards, and SAG Awards.

LOS ANGELES, March 3 – Zoe Saldaña won her first Oscar on Sunday night, taking home the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Emilia Pérez. The win marked the high point of a very successful awards season for Saldaña.

Overcome with emotion during her speech, she called out to her mother in the crowd. “Mami! Mami!” she said through tears. “My mom is here. My whole family is here. I’m so honored and grateful. Thank you to the Academy for recognizing the quiet strength and courage in a character like Rita, and for celebrating powerful women.”

She also expressed appreciation for the other nominees, saying, “The love and community you’ve shown me is a true gift, and I promise to pay it forward.”

Saldaña received the award from last year’s winner, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who praised her performance: “You took us on a journey that challenged how we see ourselves—and then showed us how to go beyond that. You were fearless and so inspiring to watch.”

Saldaña’s Oscar win follows several others this season, including her first Golden Globe in January, plus awards from BAFTA, the Critics Choice Awards, and the Screen Actors Guild.

Reflecting on her roots, Saldaña said, “My grandmother came to this country in 1961. I’m proud to be the daughter of immigrant parents—people with dreams, dignity, and hard-working hands. I’m the first American of Dominican heritage to win an Oscar, and I know I won’t be the last.”

She was one of several first-time acting nominees, including Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown), Ariana Grande (Wicked), and Isabella Rossellini (Conclave). Felicity Jones (The Brutalist) was also nominated but had been previously recognized in 2015.

In Emilia Pérez, Saldaña plays Rita Castro, a struggling lawyer hired by a Mexican drug lord to help facilitate gender-affirming surgery. The drug lord transitions into Emilia Pérez, portrayed by Karla Sofía Gascón, who became the first openly transgender actor ever nominated for an Oscar.

Saldaña said that winning an Oscar for a role in which she sings and speaks Spanish would have made her late grandmother proud. “She would’ve been so delighted.”

The film, a Spanish-language musical by director Jacques Audiard, led the Oscars with 13 nominations. However, it’s faced controversy, including backlash over its portrayal of Mexican culture and resurfaced offensive tweets by Gascón. Some also questioned whether Saldaña should have been in the supporting category, since she had more screen time than Gascón.

In previous speeches, Saldaña spoke passionately about the film’s themes of identity and love. “No one has ever questioned where I come from or judged me for how I speak or what pronouns I use,” she said recently at the SAG Awards. “‘Emilia Pérez’ is a film about truth and love. As actors, now more than ever, we need to tell stories that are meaningful and push artistic boundaries.”

With a career spanning nearly 25 years, Saldaña is best known for major roles in blockbuster franchises: Uhura in Star Trek, Neytiri in Avatar, and Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy.