Sylvia Villagrán, the Latina No One Saw but Everyone Heard at the Oscars 2023
Everyone heard her, but no one saw her. And yet, Sylvia Villagrán made history last Sunday by becoming the first Latina announcer at the Oscars 2023 gala.
Although the 98th Oscars paid tribute to diversity, perhaps the most important was precisely the one that went unnoticed.
It was the voice of Sylvia Villagrán, a bilingual dubbing actress who was the voice of the Oscars.
People could hear her voice throughout the night, welcoming attendees and spectators to the show and announcing the presenters on stage.
The voice behind the magic
Born in Los Angeles to Mexican parents, Sylvia Villagrán has worked in the industry since 1998 as a voice actress in video games, commercials, films, and television.
Villagrán grew up in the Pico-Union neighborhood of Los Angeles, and, as a first-generation Mexican, “representing Latinos is huge,” she told ABC7.
“When I first started, there was nobody. There were no Latinos doing what I do. So this a really wonderful thing for me and also for my family.”
In trying to break through in an industry historically dominated by men —very few of them Latinos — Villagran has definitely broken the mold.
“There’s something really beautiful about taking something that was written and giving voice to that,” Villagran said.
“Moving forward now, all these years later, I am absolutely thrilled that I can get to be that for young girls, and they get to see that this a possibility for them,” she added.
In fact, Sylvia Villagran is an EGOT announcer — Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards — as she has already voiced the most important award ceremonies.
“I am an EGOT-ina announcer,” Villagran said. “I haven’t won them, but yes, I’ve announced them. What an honor, right? I’m pinching myself. Everything that I’ve always dreamt of doing, all the hard work, has paid off.”
