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Zoe Saldaña has responded to the ongoing fallout of “Emilia Pérez” co-star Karla Sofía Gascón’s resurfaced past tweets that have dominated entertainment news since Thursday. Gascón’s past remarks on X — ranging from glib comments about Hitler to disses against George Floyd and diversity at the Academy Awards themselves — have put the trans actress and potential Oscar history-maker’s campaign in jeopardy. Gascón is the first trans performer nominated for an acting Oscar.
The Hollywood Reporter reported the news of the actress’s response first out of a London Q&A on Friday held with Saldaña, who is a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominee for her role in Jacques Audiard’s Spanish-language musical, a Netflix release.
Saldaña, according to the outlet, was asked about her co-star’s tweets, and said, “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.”
IndieWire confirmed the Q&A took place in London Friday as moderated by Edith Bowman. IndieWire also obtained the transcript individually.
Saldaña continued, “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 offered a statement of apology Thursday night after major trades and media outlets began reporting on the tweets. “I want to acknowledge the conversation around my past social media posts that have caused hurt. 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,” Gascón wrote.
In a translated follow-up statement obtained by THR on Friday, Gascón elaborated, saying, “I’m sorry, but I can no longer allow this campaign of hate and misinformation to affect me and my family, so at their request I am closing my account on X.”
Gascón did deactivate her X account as of Friday, and the THR exclusive statement continued, “I have been threatened with death, insulted, abused and harassed to the point of exhaustion. I have a wonderful daughter to protect, whom I love madly and who supports me in everything.”
“Emilia Pérez” is up for 13 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Variety, in the outlet’s Thursday coverage, sought individual translation of the Spanish-language tweets that have put Gascón under fire. Gascón is a Mexican citizen of Spanish origin. She was already under scrutiny after seeming to implicate fellow nominee Fernanda Torres’ publicity in attacking her online in a viral clip shared online Wednesday.
“What I don’t like are social media teams — people who work with these people — trying to diminish our work, like me and my movie, because that doesn’t lead anywhere,” per a Variety translation of an interview published in Brazilian daily Folha de S.Paulo. “You don’t need to tear down someone’s work to highlight another’s. I have never, at any point, said anything bad about Fernanda Torres or her movie. However, there are people working with Fernanda Torres tearing me and ‘Emilia Pérez’ down. That speaks more about their movie than mine.”
It was thought Gascón’s remarks could have violated Oscar campaigning rules, which state a nominee is not allowed to disparage another nominee. That was debunked, with a statement from Gascón Wednesday night reading, “In my recent comments, I was referencing the toxicity and violent hate speech on social media that I sadly continue to experience. Fernanda has been a wonderful ally, and no one directly associated with her has been anything but supportive and hugely generous.”
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