‘Roma’ Star Yalitza Aparicio Had The Best Reaction To Her Historic Oscar Nomination

It’s a time-honored (and fun!) tradition to complain about everything and everyone that didn’t get nominated for an Oscar, rather than salute the deserving films and actors/actresses that did. No If Beale Street Could Talk for Best Picture, Ethan Hawke for Best Actor, Toni Collette for Best Actress, or Eighth Grade for anything? Outrageous! And most egregiously of all, no Paddington 2? Burn the Academy to the ground. But this morning’s Oscar nominations weren’t a total train wreck: the trifecta of Favourite ladies are all up for Best Actress or Best Supporting Actress, Cold War‘s Pawel Pawlikowski for Best Director is a lovely surprise, and it’s always nice to see the Coen Brothers in the screenplay category. But still, it’s the snubs that linger, or at least they did until I saw Yalitza Aparicio’s reaction to getting nominated for Best Actress.

After Kumail Nanjiani announced her name, the Roma star, who according to the Los Angeles Times is the “first Indigenous woman to be nominated for lead actress, and just the second Mexican actress to be recognized in that category” (after Salma Hayek for her performance in Frida), tweeted, “I was extremely happy when I woke up very early today (local time). I was not expecting to receive this news.” Prior to Roma, Aparicio had no acting experience; she recently received her teaching degree when her sister convinced her to attend a casting call. Now, she’s an Oscar-nominated actress, alongside Glenn Close, Olivia Colman, Melissa McCarthy, and Lady Gaga. A star is born, indeed.

“From the very first casting call to this morning, my Roma journey has been extraordinary,” Aparicio said in a statement. “As a daughter of a domestic worker and an indigenous woman myself, I am proud this movie will help those of us who feel invisible be seen. I am eternally grateful to the Academy for recognizing Roma and am honored to be part of [director Alfonso Cuarón’s] vision. Congratulations to Alfonso, the entire cast and crew, and my dear friend Marina De Tavira. I am so humbled and honored. Thank you.”

Netflix’s Roma is up for 10 Academy Awards in total, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay (Cuarón), Best Foreign-Language Film, and Best Supporting Actress (Marina de Tavira).