- Gascón missed the Critics Choice awards over tweet controversy
- The film’s creators reportedly distanced themselves from her
- She is the first trans person to earn an Oscar nomination for acting
Emilia Perez was already a controversial film before Karla Sofia Gascon ended up at the center of media fanfare over her past use of social media.
The star’s Oscar campaign for Best Actress took a turn for the worse when journalist Sarah Hagi uncovered some offensive tweets she had posted a few years ago.
Read more: Karla Sofia Gascón: Her Oscar tweet scandal
The tweets, shared between 2019 and 2021, were found to contain Islamophobia, homophobia, racism and fatphobia. She also made offensive comments about George Floyd, Muslims and even about the Oscars.
After the resurfaced posts went viral, Gascón said she was “deeply sorry to those I have caused pain”. She also deleted her social media account.
“I want to acknowledge the conversation around my past social media posts that have caused hurt,” Gascón said via Instagram. “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.”
How has the scandal changed awards season for Gascón?
Gascón has not appeared at various awards ceremonies, including last week’s BAFTAs. She also skipped the Critics Choice and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
However, it’s believed that she will still attend the Oscars, for which she is nominated for Best Actress. Emilia Perez received 13 nominations in total.
When the tweet row first broke out, Gascón insisted that she wouldn’t withdraw from the Oscars race.
“I cannot step down from an Oscar nomination because I have not committed any crime, nor have I harmed anyone,” she said.
It was reported that Netflix had distanced itself from Gascón in order to salvage the film’s Oscar prospects. Sources have said that the streamer had stopped covering expenses for her travel or her styling for any appearances at award shows.
What else is happening at the Oscars?
The 97th Academy Awards are scheduled for Sunday, 2 March at 4 pm Pacific Standard Time and 7 pm Eastern Standard Time.
Read more: The Oscars 25: everything we know about the awards
The ceremony will air live on ABC.
Emilia Pérez broke records by becoming the most nominated non-English language film in the Academy’s history.
However, it’s facing strong competition from Brady Corbet’s three-and-a-half-hour-long historical drama The Brutalist, which received 10 nominations. Musical comedy Wicked received the same number of nods.
A full list of this year’s Oscar nominations can be found on the Academy website.
