Karla Sofía Gascónracked up several Best Actress nominations over the course of the awards season, including anAcademy Awardnod, for her portrayal of the titular character in the Oscar-nominatedEmilia Pérez.However, everything unraveled after the actress’ hurtful and racial social media posts on X, formerly Twitter, came to light. The sheer amount of backlash was unforgiving, and now Gascón reveals that she responded to all the negativity and criticism by contemplating the “unthinkable.” TheEmilia Pérezstar said in a statement, which reads as follows (below):
“Amid this unexpected, devastating storm, there have been moments when the pain has been so overwhelming that I contemplated the unthinkable. I harbored darker thoughts than those I considered in some of my previous, no less intimate and personal struggles […] Now that the storm is calming down a bit, and the worst has passed (or so I hope), I start seeing clearly what I have learned. I’ve learned that hatred, like fire, cannot be put down with more hatred.”
Emilia Pérezwas nominated for 13 Academy Awards but only walked away with two Oscar wins (Best Supporting Actress for Zoe Saldaña and Best Original Song for “El Mal”). Now, were these drastic results all thanks to the controversy, the lackluster quality of the film, the behind-the-scenes drama, or a combination of all three?
After the Oscars, People Were Right to Criticize ‘Emilia Pérez’
Zoe Saldaña’s press room debacle validates the criticism audiences had for ‘Emilia Pérez.’
It’s likely Gascón’s insensitive social media posts played a prominent role in the repercussions which followed. Those hurtful tweets included derogatory comments aimed at Muslims in her homeland of Spain, the contentious death of George Floyd, and a COVID-19 pandemic post from 2020 (per Variety), which insisted that “the Chinese vaccine” included “two spring rolls, a cat that moves its hand, 2 plastic flowers, a pop-up lantern, 3 telephone lines and one euro for your first controlled purchase."
Karla Sofía Gascón “Humbly” Asks for Forgiveness
Karla Sofía Gascón celebrated with her costars at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in 2024 as four of the movie’s stars (Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, and Adriana Paz) were all awarded the Prix d’interprétation feminine (Best Actress) award. The film’s nine-minute standing ovation in France seems a world away now amidthe controversy swirling aboutEmilia Pérez.However, Gascón has officially gone on record and apologized for the hurtful posts she made online. The actress said via the same statement:
“Lately, as I have been the target of harmful words, I have also said hurtful things throughout my life that have caused others to feel offended — things done and said from fear, from my own ignorance, from my own pain, from the outside of that cold, upsetting shield.
With no excuse, and without any intention to justify any of my past actions, I apologize to all I have offended at any point in my life and throughout my journey. I humbly ask for their forgiveness and, to honor their kindness and understanding, I promise I will commit to continuing to learn and listen, so as not to make the same mistakes in the future.”
Karla Sofía Gascón became the first openly transgender actor to be nominated for an Academy Award, butMikey Madison won the Oscarfor her portrayal in the must-seeAnora. Those interested in watching the divisiveEmilia Pérezcan check it out onNetflix.Whether it is a direct result of the controversy or not, Jacques Audiard’s film only registers a mere 16% on the Popcornmeter, formerly the Rotten Tomatoes audience score.
