Zoe Saldaña Addresses Emilia Pérez’ Costar Karla Sofía Gascón’s Tweet Controversy: ‘I am Unhappy’

Throughout a Q&A in London on Friday, per The Hollywood Reporter, the actress reacted to her costar’s controversial tweets, through which Gascón — who’s the primary overtly transgender actor to be nominated for an Oscar — appeared to disclose bigoted and hateful views.

“I am nonetheless processing all the things that has transpired within the final couple of days, and I am unhappy,” mentioned Saldaña, who was joined by Emilia Pérez director Jacques Audiard and songwriters-composers Camille and Clément Ducol. (THR stories that Gascón was initially set to attend the Q&A as nicely.)

“It makes me actually unhappy as a result of I do not assist [it], and I haven’t got any tolerance for any damaging rhetoric in the direction of folks of any group,” she continued. “I can solely attest to the expertise that I had with each person that was an element, that may be a half, of this movie, and my expertise and my interactions with them was about inclusivity and collaboration and racial, cultural and gender fairness. And it simply saddens me.”

“It saddens me that we’re having to face this setback proper now,” Saldaña added. “However I am completely satisfied that you simply’re all right here and that you simply’re all nonetheless displaying up for Emilia as a result of the message that this movie has is so highly effective and the change that it might deliver ahead to communities which can be marginalized day in and day trip is vital. And all that I can attest is that every one of us that got here collectively to inform this story, we got here collectively for love and for respect and curiosity, and we’ll proceed to unfold that message. That is all we will say proper now. Thanks.”

Saldaña’s feedback come after Gascón apologized for her previous social media posts and subsequently deactivated her X account on Friday.

The Spanish actress’ previous X posts, which resurfaced earlier this week, featured controversial remarks about George Floyd, Muslims, and variety on the Oscars.

Gascón apologized in a press release, per TMZ, saying, “I need to acknowledge the dialog round my previous social media posts which have prompted damage. As somebody in a marginalized neighborhood, I do know this struggling all too nicely and I’m deeply sorry to these I’ve prompted ache. All my life I’ve fought for a greater world. I imagine mild will at all times overcome darkness.”

She went on to share a prolonged assertion with The Hollywood Reporter, through which Gascón referred to the backlash as a “marketing campaign of hate and misinformation,” whereas additionally apologizing for her “faulty” previous opinions.

“I am sorry, however I can not permit this marketing campaign of hate and misinformation to have an effect on me and my household, so at their request I’m closing my account on X,” she wrote partially. “I’ve been threatened with loss of life, insulted, abused and harassed to the purpose of exhaustion. I’ve a beautiful daughter to guard, whom I like madly and who helps me in all the things.”

“As a part of this society, I’ve expressed my disagreement or settlement with all of the associated points which have touched me and of which I’ve had an opinion, typically faulty, which has modified all through my very own expertise,” Gascón continued, including that she has “defended each one of many minorities on this world and supported freedom of faith and any motion in opposition to racism and homophobia in the identical manner that I’ve criticized the hypocrisy that underlies them, as a result of the very first thing I’m important of is myself.”

See her full assertion, right here.

In the meantime, Gascón shared one other prolonged assertion on her Instagram on Saturday. She posted a photograph of a Nichiren Buddhist image, and added the phrases, per Selection’s translation: “As with Emilia Pérez: We will all do higher. Me too.”

“THEY ALREADY WON. The very first thing I would love to do is ask for essentially the most honest forgiveness from those that really feel unhealthy about the way in which I’ve expressed myself at any stage of my life,” Gascón started in her caption. “I’ve many issues to study on this world, the varieties [in which I learn] are my greatest defect. Life has taught me one thing I by no means needed to study: it’s clear to me that regardless of how a lot my message is my message, with out utilizing the right phrases, [the message] can convert into one other.”

“I’ve gone from residing a standard life to a life on the high of my career in simply six months, now my duty may be very nice as a result of my voice not solely belongs to me however to many individuals who really feel represented and hopeful by or with me,” she continued, earlier than opening up about how training Nichiren Buddhism has modified her.

Whereas the Oscar nominee went on to say she’s “not the identical particular person” she was a decade in the past, a lot of her social media posts have been shared after 2020.

As Gascón continued, she claimed that she’s “not a racist” and mentioned one of many “most vital folks” in her life is Muslim, earlier than writing that she “won’t ever assist wars, spiritual extremism or the oppression of races and peoples.”

“They’ve created posts as if it have been me insulting even my colleagues,” she mentioned. “Issues that I wrote to glorify as in the event that they have been criticisms, jokes as in the event that they have been actuality, phrases that with out the background solely look like hate. All the pieces so long as I don’t win something and I sink.”

Gascón concluded her put up with a quote from her mother that learn: “I care little or no whether or not you win something, I simply care about you being okay and that nobody will hurt you,” she mentioned, earlier than recalling her response. “‘Mom, this life has put me right here to ship a message of hope and like to this world, I’ll do it.'”

The controversy comes amid awards season, throughout which Emilia Pérez has obtained quite a few accolades regardless of additionally being met with widespread criticism.

The Netflix movie is up for a whopping 13 Oscars for the upcoming 2025 ceremony subsequent month — essentially the most out of any movie this 12 months. Gascón and Saldaña are each nominated for Greatest Actress and Greatest Supporting Actress, respectively, whereas Emilia Pérez was additionally acknowledged in different main classes, together with Greatest Image, Greatest Director for Audiard, Greatest Worldwide Movie and extra.