‘Emilia Pérez’ director Jacques Audiard and star Zoe Saldaña condemn Karla Sofia Gascón
Last week, historic offensive tweets written by Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofia Gascón were discovered and subsequently circulated online. Now, the film’s director, Jacques Audiard, and Gascón’s co-star, Zoe Saldaña, have condemned the actor’s use of bigoted language.
The film is in the running for 13 Oscars, with Gascón receiving a ‘Best Actress’ nomination. Yet, unearthed posts show Gascón complaining about the number of Muslim people in Spain – “Islam is becoming a hotbed for infection for humanity that urgently need to be cured,” she wrote in 2016 – as well as making offensive comments about George Floyd and claiming that the Oscars are too diverse.
In response, Audiard has shared his thoughts on the actor’s comments, calling her “hateful.” He told Deadline, “The exceptional atmosphere that we had on the set, that was indeed based on trust. And when you have that kind of relationship and suddenly you read something that that person has said, things that are absolutely hateful and worthy of being hated, of course that relationship is affected. It’s as if you fall into a hole. Because what Karla Sofía said is inexcusable.”
The filmmaker also noted that “she’s really playing the victim,” adding, “She’s talking about herself as a victim, which is surprising. It’s as if she thought that words don’t hurt.” He claimed that he does not want to speak to the actor, stating that she is using a “self-destructive approach” to deal with the backlash.
Meanwhile, Saldaña told Variety on their Award Circuits podcast, “I’m sad. Time and time again, that’s the word because that is the sentiment that has been living in my chest since everything happened.” She added, “I’m also disappointed. I can’t speak for other people’s actions. All I can attest to is my experience, and never in a million years did I ever believe that we would be here.”
The actor also stated that “I do not support any negative rhetoric of racism and bigotry towards any group of people. That is what I want to stand for,” in relation to Gascón’s appearance on CNN Español, during which she claimed that Saldaña and co-star Selena Gomez “support me 200%.”
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