10 Things to Know About ‘Emilia Pérez’

What Is Emilia Pérez About?

Music Is a Protagonist

French composing duo Clément Ducol and Camille crafted the musical’s score. Their songs not only played a major role in advancing the film’s story, but they went on to take a life of their own. Initially, Ducol and Camille received a brief 20-page treatment from the director. “What was exciting was that Jacques invited us to be part of it since the very beginning,” Ducol told Billboard. “The goal was that the music and the songs were linked to the story and deal with emotions. That it wasn’t only music reflecting the story but the music was the story. The music shifts along with characters. It’s a story of emancipation, transformation and evolution, so the music embodies all of that.”

Songs Were Written in Spanish

Ducol and Camille aren’t native Spanish speakers but Camille wrote the lyrics in Spanish with the help of language consultants who offered feedback that was “accurate and fair,” Camille explained. “Sometimes I imagined the lyrics in French, then I would switch to Spanish very quickly because I needed to hear how it actually sounded,” Camille explained. “There’s no point in writing in French and translating. It has to be in the language because the lyrics talk about the country, the reality, the landscapes, the people,” she added.

Inspiration Behind the Musical Numbers

The musical numbers we hear in Emilia Pérez are as audacious and genre-bending as the narrative itself. The genres that power the musical range from pop to rock and rap. “The inspiration was only the story and characters, it was a very intuitive process,” Ducol said. “There weren’t pre-existing ideas of what could be used, no styles were pre-determined. Jacques likes to say that music is trans-genre too, not only Emilia.”

Zoe Saldaña’s “El Mal” Was Recorded With a Live Band

Emilia Pérez‘s “El Mal” (performed by Saldaña) won best original song — motion picture at the Golden Globes. It’s also one of the best musical numbers in the project as a passionate Rita takes the spotlight at a benefit to call out the corruption in Mexico. “There was already this kind of rap, rock, opera [base], but with an arrangement more electronic,” Ducol said. “And when Zoe sang the song and performed and danced, Jacques was at the studio and said we needed something more acoustic and rough. We redid the song with a live rock band.”

Selena Gomez Auditioned for Her Role

Director Jacques Audiard flew to New York to meet with Selena Gomez, whom he had seen in 2012’s Spring Breakers. “No, I didn’t know Selena Gomez the music star, but there’s a simple reason for this,” Audiard told The Hollywood Reporter. “She’s 30. I’m 72. I’m not on social media, not on Instagram.” After their meeting in New York, Gomez auditioned for the role of Jessi via Zoom, and performed one of the musical numbers. “I acted insane in the audition, surrendered and completely gave myself,” Gomez told THR in Cannes.

Gomez’s “Mi Camino” Had to be Re-Written

When Jessi (Gomez) reaches a point of liberation in the film, she performs the rebellious “Mi Camino.” The musical number is almost like a ’90s music, video and Gomez is very much in her pop star element. “We had written the bedroom scene for her, like walls turning into a techno song, something very punk,” Ducol explained to Billboard. “We had another song even punkier than this one and very rebellious. The first one was more like she wanted to rebel, and the second one was, ‘I’m rebelling.’ We hadn’t met Selena yet at that point and when Jacques met Selena he told us, ‘Unfortunately we have to write another song. Help me find the song that tells the story of her as a woman and not only as the actress…’ He wanted her to be revealed.”

The Mexico-Set Musical Was Shot in Paris

Selena Gomez Defends Her Spanish in the Movie

Karla Sofía Gascón Defends Gomez