Aparicio, 25, was nominated for Best Actress for her role in Cuarón’s Netflix filmRoma. While the actress didn’t take home the Oscar (Olivia Colmansnagged the award) she was celebrated in her home of Tlaxiaco, in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, where the town’s residents gathered at a viewing party to watch the award ceremony on Sunday night.
The actress became the first indigenous woman to earn an Oscar nomination and the second Mexican woman to do so after Salma Hayek’s nomination forFridain 2003.
Romais Aparicio’s acting debuting after she auditioned during a casting call in Mexico. The film follows Cleo (Aparicio) a housekeeper and caretaker who struggles through personal issues while taking care of the family she works for.
Be sure to check outPEOPLE’s full Oscars coverageto get the latest news on film’s biggest night.
Viewers watching the Oscars at a live watch party in Tlaxiaco, Oaxaca, Mexico.CARLOS BAUTISTA/AFP/Getty
Wall art of Yalitza Aparicio fromRomaon a building in Oaxaca, Mexico.
The role thrust Aparicio into the awards season circuit and also saw her land the cover onVogue Mexicoand an appearance inVanity Fair.
Aparicio toldHarper’s Bazaarin an interview published on Sunday that she felt blessed to have been a part of the film.
“I feel that this is an opportunity to see that we are diverse, that we do not all have the same skin color or the same appearance or anything,” she told the magazine.
Steve Granitz/WireImage
She added, “I feel that it is also the opportunity for us to reflect as Mexicans, that we are diverse, and we must accept ourselves as we are.”
The 91st Academy Awards were broadcast live from Los Angeles on Sunday.
source: people.com
