Emilia Pérez director Jacques Audiard says he has not spoken to his film’s title character Karla Sofia Gascón following her controversial tweets and adds: “I just don’t understand why she’s continuing to harm us.”
Audiard told Deadline Hollywood in an interview that he has severed ties with the Oscar best actress nominee amid a growing controversy regarding offensive historic social media tweets and commentary that Gascón posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).
“I haven’t spoken to her, and I don’t want to,” Audiard insisted. Gascón — whose best actress Oscar prospects, and the wider awards season campaign for Emilia Pérez, appears in disarray this week — has continued to do the media rounds, which includes a tearful, hourlong interview with CNN en Español, and she has refused to take herself out of Oscar contention.
“She is in a self-destructive approach that I can’t interfere in, and I really don’t understand why she’s continuing. Why is she harming herself? Why? I don’t understand it, and what I don’t understand about this too is why she’s harming people who were very close to her,” Audiard questioned in the interview.
The Netflix film picked up 13 Oscar nominations including best actress (Gascón), best director (Audiard), best supporting actress (Zoe Saldaña) adapted screenplay, music (original score) makeup and hairstyling, cinematography and best picture. It also earned France a best international feature film nomination, making Emilia Pérez the most nominated film not in the English language at the Oscars.
“I’m thinking in this thing of how hurting others, of how she’s hurting the crew and all these people who worked so incredibly hard on this film. I’m thinking of myself, I’m thinking of Zoe [Saldaña] and Selena [Gomez],” Audiard continued.
The turmoil surrounding the Academy Awards campaign for Emilia Pérez led by Netflix follows Gascón becoming the first openly transgender performer to be nominated for an Oscar in an acting category. “I’m not getting in touch with her because right now she needs space to reflect and take accountability for her actions,” Audiard said.
Gascón has declined multiple requests for further interviews by The Hollywood Reporter.
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