Backlash Over ‘Emilia Pérez,’ Lead Actor Karla Sofía Gascón Defined

• Netflix’s “Emilia Pérez” has acquired probably the most nominations from main award our bodies this season.
• However in current weeks, the movie and its solid have confronted a number of controversies on social media.
• Within the newest disaster, followers are attacking the movie’s lead, Karla Sofía Gascón, for her outdated social media posts.

“Emilia Pérez” is a frontrunner for the 2025 Oscars after bagging 13 nominations, however a rising variety of followers and critics are turning in opposition to it.

The Netflix movie, starring Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, and Karla Sofía Gascón, is a cross-genre crime musical a couple of Mexican cartel boss who fakes her loss of life so she will be able to transition.

Selection reported that Netflix purchased the movie for about $12 million after it premiered on the 2024 Cannes Movie Competition. Whereas it wasn’t a success on the platform, its award success is a lift to Netflix’s popularity.

Some movie followers have questioned why the movie is drawing so many accolades, arguing its competitors is best, and have criticized outdated social media posts by its lead actor, Gascón.

On Rotten Tomatoes, it had a critic rating of 76% and an viewers rating of 34%, indicating a divide between business specialists and most people.

Listed below are the controversies surrounding the movie defined.

Followers mocked what they view as a weird musical quantity within the movie

In a single scene that went viral, a health care provider sings concerning the gender reassignment surgical procedures he has carried out.

Customers on X who noticed the clip out of context mocked the musical quantity, whereas others who had seen the movie referred to as it boring.

Movie followers reignited criticism by resharing the scene after “Emilia Pérez” gained 4 awards on the Golden Globes on January 6.

It gained the award for finest musical or comedy movement image over many fan-favorite movies, together with “Depraved,” “The Substance,” and “Challengers.”

Gomez’s efficiency and her Spanish language expertise have additionally been criticized.

Eugenio Derbez, a Mexican actor who starred in 2021’s “Coda,” referred to as her efficiency “indefensible” final December on the Mexican leisure podcast “Hablando de Cine.”

After Gomez mentioned sorry and that she did one of the best she may with the time she was given, Derbez apologized the subsequent day for his “inconsiderate” feedback.

Others have complained about how the movie portrays trans identification

At first look, it could appear progressive for a movie a couple of trans particular person to win a number of Oscars, as an overtly trans actor is but to win an Academy Award. However critics say the movie does not uplift the group, partly as a result of it contains transphobic tropes, corresponding to describing a transwoman as “half male/half feminine.”

In November 2024, the LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD referred to as the movie “a step backward for trans illustration” and shared a number of detrimental evaluations from critics who’re trans.

On January 6, Gascón instructed Self-importance Honest: “Many are working a detrimental, nasty marketing campaign in opposition to the movie, so something that I say, they’ll use it to make their case greater.

“When one thing has a big effect and is favored by many, others hate it only for present.”

When requested about critics who’re trans panning the film, Gascón mentioned: “Being LGBTQ, having these labels, doesn’t take away your stupidity, similar to heterosexuality doesn’t take away your stupidity.

“What bothers me is that the folks that say issues like that simply sitting down at residence doing nothing. If you happen to do not prefer it, go and make your individual film. Go create the illustration you need to see to your group.”

Gascón added that the trans expertise isn’t a monolith.

Juan Barquin, a critic of the film who’s trans and was talked about within the Self-importance Honest article, responded in an X publish the subsequent day, telling Gascón to “go fuck herself” and provides her cash to make her personal trans film.

One other trans critic talked about within the piece, Drew Burnett Gregory, mentioned: “I’ve watched many trans actors and writers connect themselves to cis artists within the hopes of serving to their careers.

“It isn’t a place I envy. When the mud settles and the awards are doled out, it is the cis individuals who have benefited whereas the trans individuals can barely get work.”

On January 6, Jeremy O. Harris, a Tony-nominated playwright and actor, shared a Instagram story publish criticizing the outlet THEM and different LGBTQ+ detractors of “Emilia Pérez,” arguing its success may open doorways for illustration.

Some have criticize how Mexico is portrayed

“Emilia Pérez” is usually set in Mexico, however the movie’s director, Jacques Audiard, is French, and the film was made in France. As well as, one Mexican-born actor has a lead function: Adriana Paz. Gomez is American and has Mexican heritage; Saldaña’s mother and father are Dominican and Puerto Rican; and Gascón is Spanish.

Customers on X, together with Mexican actors and cinematographers, argued the movie does not precisely painting Mexico, its tradition, and folks.

Rodrigo Prieto, a Mexican, Oscar-nominated cinematographer who labored on “Barbie,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” and “The Wolf of Wall Avenue,” instructed Deadline final November that he was “sad” the movie was not shot in Mexico and did not embody extra Mexican individuals within the manufacturing.

“The entire thing is totally inauthentic,” Prieto mentioned. “Sure, they’d dialogue coaches however I used to be offended that such a narrative was portrayed in a means that felt so inauthentic.

“It was simply the main points for me. You’d by no means have a jail signal that learn ‘Cárcel’ it could be ‘Penitenciaria’. It is simply the main points, and that reveals me that no one that knew was concerned. And it did not even matter. That was very troubling to me.”

In December 2024, casting director Carla Hool instructed a SAG-AFTRA basis Q&A that her workforce searched throughout Mexico and Latin America for the lead roles.

“We needed to maintain it actually genuine, however on the finish of the day, one of the best actors who embodied the characters are those proper right here,” Hool mentioned, including that they modified the backgrounds of Gomez and Saldaña’s characters’ as a result of they are not native Mexicans.

This additional angered critics.

‘Emilia Pérez’ was snubbed by GLAAD however has acquired probably the most Oscar nominations

On January 22, GLAAD introduced the nominees for its media awards, however “Emilia Pérez” was notably absent from all classes.

A day later, the Oscars introduced their nominations checklist, and “Emilia Pérez” acquired probably the most. The movie’s whole nominations ties with Oscar-winning movies corresponding to “Oppenheimer,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” and “Forrest Gump.”

Movie followers mentioned they thought different movies had been extra deserving of the popularity.

A Mexican trans filmmaker created a 28-minute parody of ‘Emilia Pérez’ set in France

On January 25, Camila Aurora, a Mexican filmmaker who’s trans, uploaded “Johanne Sacreblu” to YouTube, a 28-minute musical parody of “Emilia Pérez.” The movie is about in France, however it’s stuffed with French stereotypes and was filmed in Mexico with Mexican actors who placed on unhealthy French accents.

The movie went viral and has been considered 1.7 million instances on YouTube.

Gascón accuses individuals on social media of making an attempt to tear her down

On January 28, Folha de S. Paulo, a Brazilian day by day newspaper, printed a video interview the place Gascón mentioned individuals had torn down her work to focus on that of fellow finest actress Oscar nominee, Fernanda Torres.

Followers accused Gascón of breaking an Academy rule prohibiting these related to an eligible movie from publicly casting a competing movie in a “detrimental or derogatory gentle.”

Representatives for the Academy didn’t reply to a remark request from Enterprise Insider.

Selection reported on January 29 that the feedback don’t violate the rule as a result of Gascón didn’t negatively touch upon Torres’ performing efficiency or movie.

Gascón instructed Selection: “In my current feedback, I used to be referencing the toxicity and violent hate speech on social media that I sadly proceed to expertise. Fernanda has been a beautiful ally, and nobody immediately related along with her has been something however supportive and massively beneficiant.”

Gascón faces a backlash after outdated X posts resurface

On January 30, followers and journalists resurfaced posts Gascón shared on X that includes offensive remarks about Islam, Muslims, George Floyd, and Miley Cyrus. The latest posts had been from 2021.

Selection reported that in a single publish, which has since been deleted, Gascón referred to as the 2021 Oscar ceremony an “Afro-Korean pageant” after Daniel Kaluuya, a Black British actor, and Yuh-Jung Youn, a South Korean actor, gained awards.

Gascón mentioned in a press release to Selection and The Hollywood Reporter: “I need to acknowledge the dialog round my previous social media posts which have prompted harm. As somebody in a marginalized group, I do know this struggling all too nicely and I’m deeply sorry to these I’ve prompted ache. All my life I’ve fought for a greater world. I consider gentle will at all times overcome darkness.”

On January 31, Gascón deleted her X account and shared a prolonged assertion with The Hollywood Reporter, which began: “I am sorry, however I can now not permit this marketing campaign of hate and misinformation to have an effect on neither my household nor me anymore, so at their request I’m closing my account on X.”

Since January 31, Gascón has posted three statements on Instagram and appeared in an hourlong interview with CNN en Español. In these posts and interviews, Gascón denied she was racist or Islamophobic and mentioned a few of the posts had been pretend or taken out of context.

On January 31, Saldaña attended a Q&A in London the place the host mentioned Gascón could not attend and requested her to answer “what’s been mentioned on-line.”

Saldaña mentioned: “I am nonetheless processing every thing that has transpired within the final couple of days, and I am unhappy. It makes me actually unhappy as a result of I do not help and I haven’t got any tolerance for any detrimental rhetoric in direction of individuals of any group.”

Jacques Audiard, the director of ‘Emilia Pérez,’ calls Gascón’s feedback ‘inexcusable’

On Tuesday, Leisure Weekly reported that Netflix had launched a brand new “Emilia Pérez” poster for award present voters that options the movie’s stars and nominations, aside from Gascón and her Oscar nod.

Awards panels for the Oscars and others have not completed voting, so the controversy might have an effect on the movie’s probabilities of profitable awards.

On Wednesday, Audiard instructed Deadline that Gascón’s outdated posts had been “inexcusable” and mentioned she was “enjoying the sufferer.”

“I have never spoken to her, and I do not need to. She is in a self-destructive method that I am unable to intrude in, and I actually do not perceive why she’s persevering with,” he mentioned, seemingly referring to Gascón’s response to the backlash. “I do not perceive it, and what I do not perceive about this too is why she’s harming individuals who had been very near her.”

Audiard mentioned that the best way Gascón had responded to the backlash was hurting him, her castmates, and everybody else who labored on the movie.

When requested about “Emilia Pérez” being criticized for its depictions of cartels and victims of gang violence in Mexico, Audiard mentioned the film was not meant to be reasonable.

“What shocked me is that both individuals have not seen the movie correctly, or they have not seen it in any respect and are performing in unhealthy religion,” Audiard mentioned. “The illustration of the cartels within the movie is thematic. It isn’t one thing that I am notably centered on within the movie. There’s one scene that offers with it. The true factor that I am keen on, that I used to be keen on doing, is that I needed to make an opera.”

Whereas some social media customers praised Audiard for criticizing Gascón, others accused him of throwing her to the wolves, and criticized feedback Audiard made concerning the Spanish language that they believed had been problematic.

Representatives for Gascón, Netflix, the Academy, and THEM didn’t instantly reply to a remark request from BI.