The Power of Women was celebrated on Thursday in Los Angeles at Variety’s annual event that recognizes actresses for their outstanding achievement on the big screen and their dedication toward philanthropy while off the clock.
Held at Mother Wolf, the celebration honored Amy Adams, Carol Burnett and Zoe Saldaña, among others.
Saldaña, who arrived on the red carpet in a pink spring 2025 Emilia Wickstead dress, was recognized for her work with Baby2Baby, an organization that provides essentials to children in need. Speaking to the theme of powerful women, Saldaña recalled the transformative experience of getting into costume for her role as Rita, a lawyer who helps a cartel boss retire and transition into a woman through staging a death in Netflix‘s “Emilia Pérez.”
“Costumes do play a big part in putting your character together, especially if your character is going through a big transformation,” Saldaña told WWD. “I know that Emilia (played by Karla Sofía Gascón) goes through the biggest transformation in the whole movie, but Rita and Jessi (played by Selena Gomez) and also Epifanía (played by Adriana Paz) have their transformations. And there was a before-and-after for Rita’s look, it did impact a lot about how I was moving and about how it made me feel. So, costumes are very powerful. They play really powerful roles when you’re putting your characters together.”
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Amy Adams, who wore a color-blocked Rouland Mouret resort 2025 dress, added that character wardrobe also helped amplify her performance as a stay-at-home mother who transforms into a dog in the upcoming horror-comedy “Nightbitch.” “There’s so much that goes into defining the character and when you step into wardrobe, sort of how the clothes feel, how they drape, how you move in the clothes,” said Adams. “Each garment has a life and a story and a history, and it plays so much into the bigger picture of the backstory of the character. In ‘Nightbitch,’ she was an artist, so some of her [clothing] feels very sort of artisanal. Some feel vintage, and some feel like she grabbed them out of her husband’s closet. It’s like she hasn’t really redefined her style and her new body, but she hasn’t let go of her old self either, so she’s in the in-between.”
Leslie Jones hosted the event, which was presented by Lifetime. Additional sponsors included Dr. Bronner’s, Ouai, Bombas, Supergoop!, SkinMedica, Kérastase and more.
