Zoe Saldana stressed the importance of people's "right to be who they are" as she accepted her Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award on Sunday (23.02.25).

The 47-year-old actress picked up the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role accolade for 'Emilia Perez' and after paying tribute to fellow nominees Monica Barbaro ('A Complete Unknown') ,Jamie Lee Curtis ('The Last Showgirl'), Danielle Deadwyler ('The Piano Lesson') and Ariana Grande ('Wicked'), the star admitted she was "so grateful" to have the support of the actors' union.

Speaking on stage at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, she said: "To be in this room is a true honour. this is my community, this is my circus.

"Thank you to SAG-AFTRA. Igot my first SAG card in 1998. I didn't even know what SAG was.

"Thank you to my fellow nominees, it was an honour to watch your performances this year, I was deeply moved.

"I am grateful that my mother and father and sisters looked it up and helped me educate myself to know what it means to be a part of a union that protects me so I can make a living out of this crazy industry.

After thanking her "working family", and her "beautiful" family, Zoe highlighted the message of the movie was "truth and love" and urged actors to embrace their "artistic freedom".

She added: "I am proud to be a part of a union that allows me to be who I am. I've never been questioned where I come from or judged for how I speak or what my pronouns are. Everyone has the right to be who they are.

"'Emilia Perez' is about truth and love and us actors really have to tell stories that are thought-provoking and beautiful and live within the spectrum of artistic freedom."