"It Just Saddens Me": Zoe Saldaña Responds To Offensive & Racist Tweets From Emilia Perez Co-Star

Emilia Pérezstar Zoe Saldaña is speaking out about her co-star's recently discovered offensive tweets. The Spanish-language musical has earned widespread attention after being nominated for 13 Oscars at the upcoming Academy Awards. Its critical renown, however, could have helped it secure a lasting legacy. A series of racist and Islamophobic tweets from star Karla Sofía Gascón may hamper those goals. Gascón apologized for the tweets, which were discovered on Thursday, and she has since deleted her X/Twitter account.

Gascón's comments were originally posted in Spanish, and they were later discovered by other users using Google Translate.

While attending a Q&A in London, Saldaña responded to the controversy. While admitting that she is "still processing everything", she emphasized that she does not "have any tolerance" for prejudiced remarks. In no uncertain terms, Saldaña denounced the comments and reflected on how much they truly "saddened" her. Check out her quote below, via THR:

I’m still processing everything that has transpired in the last couple of days, and I’m sad. It makes me really sad because I don’t support [it], and I don’t have any tolerance for any negative rhetoric towards people of any group. I can only attest to the experience that I had with each and every individual that was a part, that is a part, of this film, and my experience and my interactions with them was about inclusivity and collaboration and racial, cultural and gender equity. And it just saddens me.
It saddens me that we are having to face this setback right now. 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. And all that I can attest is that all of us that came together to tell this story, we came together for love and for respect and curiosity, and we will continue to spread that message. That’s all we can say right now. Thank you.

Gascón's Comments Were Devastating For Emilia Pérez

What This Means For The Oscar Campaign

Gascón had the opportunity to leave a massive mark on Hollywood after becoming the first openly transgender woman to be nominated for Best Actress. It would have been a significant step forward for the industry and could have reflected a changing Academy. Instead, her tweets have severely hindered her chances. Her comments, first posted in 2020, criticized both the George Floyd protests and Muslim immigration into Spain. The comments recently drew widespread attention.

Emilia Pérezmay be a Best Picture nominee, but Gascón is unlikely to win Best Actress after the widespread backlash to her comments. She did quickly apologize for her comments, saying that "as someone in a marginalized community," she understood the hurt that she caused. However, this has not stopped the widespread backlash against her performance and the movie itself. Saldaña's response indicates that she may no longer enjoy the support of the rest of the star-studded cast.

Our Take On The Emilia Pérez Controversy

The Backlash Is Entirely Understandable

Rita Moro (Zoe Saldana) receives a mysterious package in Emilia Pérez

Emilia Pérez was already a controversial movie before the tweets were revealed. It earned a Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter score of just 18%, against a Tomatometer score of 73%. Many viewers simply do not understand the critical renown that helped it earn an unprecedented number of nominations at the Oscars. This backlash provides legitimacy to their argument, but still does not mean that the rest of the cast should suffer because of Gascón's comments.

After this controversy, Emilia Pérez may not leave much of a mark at the Oscars.

Saldaña is not guilty, nor is Selena Gomez. If the Academy still believes that the movie deserves its nominations, those two actors should not be penalized for the actions of the third. Still, it is odd that producers did not discover Gascón's comments during the casing process. The movie is already in Spanish, so those comments should not have escaped notice. With that in mind, the Academy will need to balance its response to the backlash against the quality of a movie that earned 13 nominations. After this controversy, Emilia Pérez may not leave much of a mark.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter