Adriana Paz Defends ‘Emilia Pérez’ Against Criticisms the Film Dismisses Mexican Culture

Since its release, Jacques Audiard’s Spanish-language crime musical, “Emilia Pérez” has outpaced expectations to become a critical favorite, garnering high praise from top-tier directors and so far making impressive showings at the season’s big award ceremonies in Europe and the U.S. But in Mexico, where the musical will premiere later this month, audiences reacting to clips of the film and industry professionals have been vocal about their disapproval of the film about a ruthless cartel lord who undergoes a dramatic gender transformation.

Many of these critics, and like-minded ones in the U.S., have accused “Emilia Pérez,” which stars Karla Sofía Gascón as the titular antihero, of portraying Mexico through a regressive and stereotyping lens. Blame has been heaped on Audiard for making the film in a language he doesn’t speak — though, it’s far from the “Dheepan” director’s first go at a foreign tongue — for shooting it in France instead of on location, and for failing to involve an adequate number of Mexicans in the process. In some cases, like a recent post on X from singer and actor Mauricio Martínez — incorrectly stating that Audiard had never set foot on Mexican soil — the critiques have felt more personal in nature. But perhaps the most pointed reproofs have been aimed at the cast, and particularly Selena Gomez, whose performance as Emilia’s ill-used, philandering ex-wife was described as “indefensible” by Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez.

So far, accusations over the film’s lack of authenticity have largely been met with either silence or acquiescence by its mostly non-Mexican creative team and cast, which — for those splitting hairs — includes the Spanish-born telenovela star Gascón. But Adriana Paz, a Mexico City native who won a Best Actress award alongside co-stars Zoe Saldaña, Gomez, and Gascón at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, isn’t taking the matter lying down.

“I’ve heard people saying it’s offensive to Mexico. I really want to know why, because I didn’t feel that way. And I have questioned some people that I trust, not just as artists but as people, and they don’t feel that way, so I am trying to understand,” Paz, who plays Emilia’s love interest, Epifanía, told IndieWire of the reaction to the film in her home country. 

“The first time that I saw it, I told Jacques, ‘You’re a genius,’” she said, echoing Mexican auteur Guillermo del Toro’s sentiments during a conversation with Audiard in October. “I was crying, I felt moved, and I was, like, ‘I am so grateful that I’m part of this project.’” 

Paz — who said of receiving the script, “The first thing that I thought was, ‘This could be a mess, or not, but it’s Jacques Audiard” — started her career in Spain on stage and screen. And over the last few decades, she’s become a darling of independent Spanish-language cinema, winning three Ariel Awards and earning a Goya Award nomination, along with popular roles on TV. But her role as the woman who captures Emilia’s heart after Emilia remakes herself as a patron for victims of cartel violence has brought Paz a new level of attention.

Adriana Paz in ‘Emilia Pérez’©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection

With just a few scenes, Paz makes her mark on “Emilia Pérez,” beginning when Epifanía arrives at Emilia’s nonprofit with a knife in her purse and culminating in the film’s final, choir-backed number titled “Las Dama que Pasan.” But her storyline is also wrapped up in some of the musical’s more controversial elements, including the fact that transitioning offers Emilia some degree of redemption — and even sainthood, if the final scene is any indication — after a life of crime.

“I told him the very first time that I saw him, ‘This is controversial, Jacques. It’s like, you can do bad things and then you can do good things, and you’re a saint,’” Paz said of relating to Audiard that Emilia’s arc could upset viewers in Mexico, where the loss of loved ones to cartel violence continues to be “a terrible situation” and a very “delicate” matter.”

“But also, everyone has a good and a bad side. There’s a lot of sicarios in Mexico that didn’t want to be sicarios; they were kidnapped by criminals when they were just kids, and they ended up in these criminalistic pacts,” she said. “Are they bad? I mean, yes, but they are also the result of a history of violence and corruption. And maybe some of them wanted to try to change.”

Paz was also aware that some viewers may bristle at the scenes portraying family members of people murdered by the cartel lining up to take assistance from the former crime boss — who, she notes, has echoes of the folk hero Jesús Malverde, sometimes known as “the narco-saint.” But she insists that, far from implying they’re “naive” for taking help where it’s available, the film captures Mexican people’s willingness to put their faith in humans and saints. 

Referring to Audiard, Paz said, “I don’t feel like he’s portraying Mexican people as stupid because they believe this character — that was a man and then a woman — is now good.

“When the people here feel abandoned by the government, which happens all the time, the only thing that they can find is faith — in anyone who can give them a hand,” Paz said. “We want to trust when someone says, ‘Can I help you?’ We tell the saints, ‘Please help me.’ We are like that. We believe in that.”

When she talks about “Emilia Pérez,” Paz often refers to Audiard’s choices as a counterpoint to the controversy they’ve stirred up. But she also emphasizes the artistry, originality and cinematic quality of the musical, which she points out was always intended to be a “fantasy” rather than a “naturalistic” portrayal of Mexico.  

‘Emilia Pérez’©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection

“I really appreciate ‘Emilia,’ because it’s a spectacle, and it’s songs and dancing, but it’s not like any other musical. It’s not ‘perfect’ dancing and a ‘perfect’ sound. The music is dirty, full of pain, erratic — like the sensation of living in Mexico,” Paz said, joking that, to understand the definition of “chaotic,” you just need to cross the Zócalo or switch metro lines in the country’s bustling capital city.

“Sometimes, you can be feeling attacked and then you turn your head and there’s a woman smiling at you,” she added. “The feeling of that — that chaos and that tenderness and that Latin spirit — you can feel it in ‘Emilia.’ And of course, the violence, you can feel it, too.”

While Gascón has been an invaluable asset for Audiard and Netflix, helping to curb dissent about the film’s controversial use of transgender themes, Paz has emerged as an important advocate for “Emilia Pérez” during its long Oscar campaign and ahead of its Mexican premiere. But there are certain lines of criticism that the actor — who appeared on the BAFTA Awards longlist last week, but will largely be attending the rest of awards season in support of her director and co-stars — is less amenable to. 

As the conversation wound down, Paz also defended her castmates, the Dominican-American Saldaña and American Gomez, who’ve been criticized for presumably taking roles from Mexican actresses. (The film portrays the characters as non-Mexican, or Mexican-American in the case of Gomez, though that was a workaround recommended by casting director Carla Hool.)

“Selena and Zoe gave their best to this project, and they are very great people and great artists. Of course, there’s a lot of good actresses in Mexico, too. But Jacques wanted to work with them, and they gave their hearts to these characters,” Paz said.

“I have won a lot of awards here in Mexico, and there’s a lot of people that ignore me — in Mexico. All these people that criticize that they are not taking Mexican actresses [for the roles] are the people that don’t go to Mexican movies in Mexico,” she added, explaining that her profile has grown significantly in her home country specifically because of “Emilia Pérez” and the Cannes prize.

“You’re not supporting your own talent, so please be congruente,” she said, directing herself to hometown audiences. “If you are going to criticize, the next time, I want you all in cinemas when a Mexican independent movie releases. You are going to see there’s a lot of good Mexican actresses and actors and directors and creators — more than Mexican people know about.”