Zoe Saldaña Says Emilia Pérez Cast Are Still Close After Filming: 'We're Rooting for Each Other' (Exclusive)

Zoe Saldaña only has wonderful things to say about her time with the cast of Emilia Perez.

On Monday, Sept. 30, Saldaña, 46, appeared alongside her Emilia Perez costars Edgar Ramírez, Selena Gomez, Karla Sofía Gascón and Adriana Paz for the Spanish-language musical's New York Film Festival premiere at the Lincoln Center. There, Saldaña exclusively tells PEOPLE about how the group has been transformed by their time working on the film.

"It's wonderful," Saldaña says of the cast's tight bond. "To this day, there's so much love, there's so much respect. We're rooting for each other. We're happy for each other. We're fixing each other's makeup and wardrobes."

"You know, every time on the red carpet, we were so excited to be a part of this project to be working with [director] Jacques Audiard that we were kind of childlike when we were shooting Emilia," she continues.

For Saldaña, even attending premieres like the NYFF or a previous debut for the film at the Cannes Film Festival, allows the cast to "still maintain that joy because we knew we signed up for something special."

"We knew what it meant to us," she concludes. "And knowing that it's becoming something special to so many people is impactful. It's really impactful. So I think that that re-bonds us all over again.

Emilia Perez, written and directed by French filmmaker Audiard, made its world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival in May and won two awards, including the best actress award for its ensemble of women. It was also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival this month, where it was named first runner-up to the festival's People's Choice Award winner The Life of Chuck.

The rest of the film's cast has also been candid about how much it meant to them to participate in the movie. On Aug. 19, Gomez, 32 shared an Instagram video of the moment she found out she was cast. In the clip, she can be seen her holding back tears immediately after getting the call. 

"I can't believe I got the movie! I'm so gonna cry right now, I don't want to cry," she says in the video.

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Per a synopsis on Cannes' website, the film follows an "overqualified and undervalued" Rita (Saldaña) who "is a lawyer at a large firm that is more interested in getting criminals off the hook than bringing them to justice."

It adds, "One day, she is given an unexpected way out, when cartel leader Manitas hires her to help him withdraw from his business and realize a plan he has been secretly preparing for years: to become the woman he has always dreamt of being."

Emilia Pérez is in select theaters Nov. 1; the movie begins streaming on Netflix Nov. 13.