A year ago, Roma star Marina de Tavira wasn't a household name in the United States. But all of that changed when the Mexican-born actress starred in Alfonso Cuarón's critically acclaimed film, which tells the story of a housekeeper working for a middle-class family in Mexico City in the 1970s. Within months of its release, the black-and-white film, which is available to view on Netflix, racked up 10 Oscar nominations, one of which went to de Tavira for her performance as Sofía.
The nod for Best Supporting Actress in 2019 marks the first Academy Award nomination de Tavira has ever received. It also puts her skills on par with some of the more well-known actresses in Hollywood, such as Amy Adams, Regina King, Emma Stone, and Rachel Weisz. For those who saw Roma, de Tavira's ability to bring Sofīa's struggles as a scorned middle-class wife and mother made her an obvious choice for an Oscar nomination; de Tavira, however, wasn't so sure.
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"I really was not expecting to be nominated," she told The Hollywood Reporter. "But I'm so grateful. I never thought that [the Academy] would take the time to look at Sofía. I think it's a character that doesn't pop out immediately in the film... But I'm really grateful. There's no words."
Of course, anyone who had followed de Tavira's acting catalogue could have predicted that she'd go far in her career. The actress got her start in the theater and, according to Variety, has starred in Mexican productions of renowned plays such as Harold Pinter's Betrayal and David Mamet's The Anarchist.
Eventually, she waded into film and television, starring in both dramas and comedies. You might recognize her for her work in Cómo Cortar a Tu Patán (How to Break Up With Your Douchebag), Telemundo's El Señor de los Cielos (The Lord of the Skies), Amazon's Falco, or Netflix's Ingobernable.
It seems that Roma's success has inspired de Tavira to take on more film roles; her latest film, This Is Not Berlin, a coming-of-age story set in Mexico from director Hari Sama, was warmly received at Sundance. She also recently signed to UTA, signaling that fans are likely to see a lot more of de Tavira in the coming years.