section_path: Career/2020–present: Television, Avatar sequels, and Emilia Pérez
section_name: 2020–present: Television, Avatar sequels, and Emilia Pérez
paragraph_text: 2020–present: Television, Avatar sequels, and Emilia Pérez
  
  In 2021, Saldaña starred in two Netflix productions, appearing as Rosita in the musical Vivo and as the titular character in Maya and the Three. She joined an all-star cast in David O. Russell 's Amsterdam. Saldaña reprised her role as Neytiri in Avatar: The Way of Water (2022). As part of her role, she performed vocals for the original song "The Songcord" on the film's soundtrack, penned by Simon Franglen. She also began starring in the Paramount+ television series Special Ops: Lioness, created by Taylor Sheridan, in 2023.
  
  She played Rita Mora Castro, a high-powered junior criminal defense attorney in the controversial musical crime film Emilia Pérez (2024), receiving critical acclaim and sharing the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress with her co-stars Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez, and Adriana Paz. Saldaña also won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture, the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role. She is the first Dominican American actress to win an Academy Award.
  
  In addition to the Avatar sequels, Saldaña had a voice role in the Pixar science fiction adventure film Elio (2025).
  
  In 2021, Saldaña starred in two Netflix productions, appearing as Rosita in the musical Vivo and as the titular character in Maya and the Three. She joined an all-star cast in David O. Russell 's Amsterdam. Saldaña reprised her role as Neytiri in Avatar: The Way of Water (2022). As part of her role, she performed vocals for the original song "The Songcord" on the film's soundtrack, penned by Simon Franglen. She also began starring in the Paramount+ television series Special Ops: Lioness, created by Taylor Sheridan, in 2023.
  
  She played Rita Mora Castro, a high-powered junior criminal defense attorney in the controversial musical crime film Emilia Pérez (2024), receiving critical acclaim and sharing the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress with her co-stars Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez, and Adriana Paz. Saldaña also won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture, the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role. She is the first Dominican American actress to win an Academy Award.
  
  In addition to the Avatar sequels, Saldaña had a voice role in the Pixar science fiction adventure film Elio (2025).