Another controversy has arisen around “Emilia Perez” — this time, involving past comments from one of the film’s stars, Karla Sofía Gascón.
Gascón, 52, has come under fire thanks to some resurfaced and since deleted social media posts, which show her making racist and Islamophobic statements.
The Oscar contender apologized for her past remarks in a statement via Netflix and on Friday, she opened up at length about the controversy in a Feb. 2 interview with CNN Español.
In “Emilia Pérez,” Gascón plays Juan “Manitas” Del Monte, a vicious cartel kingpin who dreams of living openly as a woman. Gascón then portrays the gang leader as she transforms into her authentic self, Emilia Pérez.
The sweeping crime drama, which is also a musical, has sparked controversy for its portrayal of its transgender protagonist. The movie has also faced criticism for its portrayal of Mexico and its lack of Mexican leads.
Others have praised the movie, with director Michael Mann calling it a “masterpiece.” The film is currently leading the pack with 13 Academy Awards nominations, including nominations for best picture, best actress for Gascón and best supporting actress for Zoe Saldaña.
Read on to learn more about why Gascón’s recently resurfaced social media posts are coming under fire, as well as what she has said about her past remarks.
Why are Gascón’s past comments causing backlash?
On Jan. 30, journalist Sarah Hagi shared screenshots of what appear to be past posts on X from Gascón. The posts were written in Spanish with Google translations appearing below.
Gascón’s purported past social media posts, many of which are from 2020, contain racist and Islamophobic sentiments.
Other posts surfaced of Gascón allegedly making disparaging comments about George Floyd, as well as the racial identity of past Oscar winners.
TODAY.com has not independently verified the now-deleted X posts in question.
“it’s so insane that karla sofía gascón still has these tweets up,” Hagi wrote on X as she shared screenshots of the now-deleted posts. “straight up have never seen tweets this racist from someone actively campaigning to win an ACADEMY AWARD. there are more than a dozen…”
Gascón, 52, is currently up for an Academy Award for her role in the Spanish-language crime musical, “Emilia Pérez.” She is the first openly transgender actor to be nominated for a best actress Oscar.
“Emilia Pérez” won multiple Golden Globes this year, including best motion picture in the musical or comedy category.
In an acceptance speech on behalf of the cast and crew, Gascón talked about rising above prejudice and persecution.
“Light always wins over darkness,” she said in her tearful address. “You can maybe put us in jail, you can beat us up, but you never can take away our soul, our existence, and our identity.”
Hagi accused Gascón of hypocrisy for speaking out about transgender rights amid the resurfacing of her past alleged Islamophobic comments.
“this is all from the star of a movie that is campaigning on its progressive values, you really gotta laugh,” Hagi wrote on X. “stuff like this doesn’t get flagged because you can say whatever you want about muslims, it’s never considered racist.”
Gascón has since deactivated her X account. She explained her decision to leave the social media platform in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
“I’m sorry, but I can no longer allow this campaign of hate and misinformation to affect me and my family, so at their request I am closing my account on X,” she said. “I have been threatened with death, insulted, abused and harassed to the point of exhaustion. I have a wonderful daughter to protect, whom I love madly and who supports me in everything.”
What has Gascón said about the controversy?
Following the backlash, Gascón issued a statement of apology through Netflix.
“I want to acknowledge the conversation around my past social media posts that have caused hurt. As someone in a marginalized community, I know this suffering all too well and I am deeply sorry to those I have caused pain,” she said in her statement, according to NBC News. “All my life I have fought for a better world. I believe light will always triumph over darkness.”
She also opened up about the controversy in a CNN Español interview on Feb. 2.
“I believe I have been judged, I have been convicted and sacrificed and crucified and stoned without a trial and without the option to defend myself,” she said in Spanish.
In addition, she addressed a since-deleted X post in which she called George Floyd, who was murdered by police in 2020, a “drug addict and a hustler.”
Gascón said when she wrote this post, she used social media “more like a diary” than as a platform “that can influence someone, because before being here my post was viewed by three people.”
She talked about her own experiences with oppression.
“I feel and very much identify with the people who were thrown off buses for the color of their skin, with the people who did not want them to study at university, for the people who were hated simply for existing, like how I am hated in this moment,” she said.
Gascón also said she resents working for years on “Emilia Pérez” only to come under attack for past comments.
“If they want to withdraw any nomination, if they want to withdraw the brand that supports me, or whatever, I ask that they do it with a fair trial in that they give me the opportunity to defend myself,” she said.
According to Deadline, Gascón’s interview with CNN Español was arranged independently, and was not authorized by Netflix. TODAY.com has reached out to Netflix for comment.
Gascon also addressed the controversy in a lengthy Instagram post over the weekend.
“Anyone who knows me knows I’m not racist (they’ll be surprised when they find out that one of the most important people in my current life and that I love most is Muslim),” reads part of her post, which was written in Spanish and translated by TODAY.
What have her ‘Emilia Perez’ co-stars said?
Zoe Saldaña addressed the recent backlash against her co-star during a Q&A session for the film in London on Jan. 31, as seen in a video shared by The Hollywood Reporter.
“I’m still processing everything that has transpired in the last couple of days. It makes me really sad because I don’t support and I don’t have any tolerance for any negative rhetoric towards people of any group,” Saldaña said.
She added that the experience she had with “every individual” who was part of the film was “about inclusivity, collaboration and racial, cultural and gender equity.”
“It saddens me that we’re having to face this setback right now,” Saldaña said. “But I’m happy that you’re all here and that you’re all still showing up for ‘Emilia’ because the message that this film has is so powerful and the change that it can bring forward to communities that are marginalized day in and day out is important.”
Gascón had been set to attend the panel discussion but ended up not attending the event, according to moderator Edith Bowman.
Selena Gomez, meanwhile, who co-stars in “Emilia Pérez” as Pérez’s wife, does not appear to have publicly addressed Gascón’s recently unearthed posts.
In her CNN Español interview, Gascón denied that she had penned a viral tweet that allegedly showed her calling Gomez a “rich rat.”