Karla Sofía Gascón has confirmed she will not withdraw from the Oscars race for Best Actress, despite backlash over resurfaced social media posts in which she criticized Islam.
Gascón, who made history as the first transgender person nominated in an acting category at the Academy Awards, earned her nomination for her role in the Netflix musical Emilia Pérez.
In an interview with CNN, she apologized to those who “may have felt offended” by her past posts but firmly stated, “I cannot step down from an Oscar nomination because I have not committed any crime, nor have I harmed anyone.”
Starring alongside Zoe Saldana—who is also nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category—Gascón plays a Mexican drug lord who undergoes a gender transition in Emilia Pérez.
The film, a French production primarily in Spanish, has made history with 13 Oscar nominations, making it the most-nominated non-English language film of all time.
However, controversy has swirled around Gascón after journalist Sarah Hagi unearthed old tweets from 2020 and 2021, which touched on topics including the death of George Floyd, diversity at the Oscars, and Islam.
The posts, initially reported by Variety, led to Gascón deactivating her account on X (formerly Twitter).
In a statement released via Netflix and quoted by the Associated Press, Gascón expressed regret: “As someone in a marginalized community, I know this suffering all too well, and I am deeply sorry to those I have caused pain. All my life, I have fought for a better world. I believe light will always triumph over darkness.”
Speaking with CNN, she reiterated her apology but rejected accusations of racism: “I am neither racist nor anything that all these people have tried to make others believe I am.
” She also claimed she did not recognize some of the resurfaced posts and was not given a chance to defend herself before the controversy escalated.
Additionally, Gascón denied authoring a derogatory post about her Emilia Pérez co-star Selena Gomez.
“It’s not mine, of course,” she stated. “I have never said anything about my colleague. I would never refer to her that way.”
Despite being celebrated by Oscar voters, Emilia Pérez has divided audiences and stirred controversy, particularly in Mexico, due to its portrayal of the country.
Furthermore, while the film has made awards history, it has yet to achieve significant success on Netflix.
As the Academy Awards approach on March 2, film critics speculate that the backlash against Gascón could impact Emilia Pérez’s overall chances.
However, the actress remains resolute, refusing to let the controversy overshadow her historic nomination.
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