Zoe Saldaña's Fiery BAFTA Speech Interrupted After Repeated Swearing on Stage
Zoe Saldaña tore up accepting Best Supporting Actress for her performance in "Emilia Perez" at the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards.
As a countdown indicated her to wrap it up, the 46-year-old actress was swiftly cut off camera and told to hurry through her speech as she swore multiple times.
Saldaña could barely contain her emotion, screaming "f**k, f**k, f**k" before making a heartfelt attempt to thank the voters.
She said the award was "such a validation and a real truth," given the doubts some dialect coaches had about her British accent before she received the award, although her speech was slammed with interruption.
Zoe Saldaña's BAFTA Speech
Her acceptance speech was edited out of the BBC's coverage of the ceremony halfway through her speech. The BBC said in a statement to LADBible that the bulk of the cuts were due to time constraints, although Saldaña did drop a few expletives during her speech, and we have a strict no-swearing policy.
The 46-year-old New Jersey-born actress said, "This is so validating and a true honor, because the very few times that I went for a part with a British accent, the dialect coach was like, 'This is not going to happen to you.' Even though I have a lot of British friends, I find myself repeating their phrases... and I know that I'm a pain in the a**."
"BAFTA thank you, this was a creative challenge of a lifetime. How do you begin to even approach a film that not just defies categorisation, and you start by taking the leap with Jacques Audiard. I want to thank my wonderful cast."
Saldaña got emotional as she received the award from presenters Colman Domingo and Adam Pearson. "Oh my god, I'm getting a countdown. F*** f*** f***!" she responded between the thank-yous.
"Films are supposed to change hearts and challenge minds, and I hope that 'Emilia Pérez' did something like this, because voices need to be heard. Just not my English accent."
"I'm dedicating all of these awards and the film Emilia Pérez to my nephew, Eli. He is the reason — they are the reason — I signed up to do this film in the first place. So as the proud aunt of a trans life, I will always stand with my community of trans people."
"Emilia Perez" has received mixed reactions; it led the BAFTAs with an eye-popping 11 nominations.
Saldaña left event-goers breathless on the red carpet in a form-fitting black lace gown with a daring off-the-shoulder design and a covering mesh collar.
She accessorized the look with perfectly coiffed waves and sky-high heels to round out the glam style, adding a silver sparkle necklace.
