‘A genuine friend’: Zoe Saldaña’s first-ever Golden Globe win was already perfect, but Selena Gomez’s reaction made it even better

Zoe Saldaña is no stranger to Hollywood, as she’s been part of some of the highest-grossing films of all time. However, her acting talents had yet to be officially recognized during awards season, and the musical Emilia Pérez helped her achieve this long-overdue mishap. As she won her first-ever Golden Globe, the star received wholesome support from her co-star, Selena Gomez.

For the entire press tour promoting the musical, Saldaña has been very outspoken about how important it was for her to push herself and try something new. Her efforts were noticed, because she received a multitude of nominations for the role, aside from the Golden Globe win, including at the Satellite Awards and Critics Choice Awards, and she’s getting Oscar buzz as well.

Emilia Pérez premiered at the 2024 Cannes to critical acclaim, and it also stars Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, Mark Ivanir, and Édgar Ramírez. Jacques Audiard directed the musical crime comedy, which is based on his opera libretto of the same name. It won the Jury Prize award at Cannes, as well as the Best Actress award for its female cast. As it continued its awards dominance, stars Saldaña and Gomez expressed nothing but love and support for each other, even when they were in direct competition.

Selena Gomez was Zoe Saldaña’s biggest supporter for her win

Aside from Saldaña, other nominees in the best performance by a female actor in a supporting role category were her Emilia Pérez costar Selena Gomez, as well as Wicked‘s Ariana Grande, The Brutalist‘s Felicity Jones, The Substance‘s Margaret Qualley, and Conclave‘s Isabella Rossellini.

Saldana’s name was the one called out to win the award, and she got on stage and delivered a tearful, heartfelt speech. However, the moment of the announcement has the internet praising not only the winning actress but Selena Gomez, too.

As per usual, all six nominees were shown on the screen when Moana’s Dwayne Johnson and Auliʻi Cravalho presented the award. Everyone seemed hopeful and excited to hear their own name for the award, except Gomez. The clip shows her mouthing “Zoe, Zoe, Zoe” before Johnson officially called her name. She sprang to her feet faster than Saldaña and started jumping with joy.

In a world constantly pitting women against each other, Selena Gomez was the change we want to see in the world. Excited, supportive, and genuinely happy — even when it came to her detriment.

Naturally, the internet was thrilled to see it, too. “Selena mouthing ‘Zoe, Zoe, Zoe’ before it was announced. I love seeing women supporting women,” wrote one follower. “Look at how Selena celebrated, that’s a genuine friend,” highlighted another.

To prepare for the honor of simply being nominated, Zoe Saldaña pulled all the stops for her red-carpet look. Considering Emilia Pérez was co-produced by Saint Laurent Productions, alongside Anthony Vaccarello, the creative director of the brand, it was not a surprise to see the actress attend the event wearing Saint Laurent. She opted for a dark brown strapless plunging sequin gown, paired with a voluminous satin cape for extra glam and sophistication.

From her glam to her golden statuette and her co-star with a heart of gold, 2025 has proven to be Zoe Saldaña’s year and we’re here for it.