Zoe Saldaña responds to Karla Sofía Gascón controversy: 'We are responsible for everything we say'

Zoe Saldaña is “still processing” the contention that has embroiled her Oscar-nominated movie “Emilia Pérez.”

Saldaña’s costar Karla Sofía Gascón precocious came nether occurrence for resurfaced, violative tweets with anti-Muslim, anti-diversity and racist language. Before the posts were unearthed, the movie won 4 Golden Globes — including 1 for Saldaña — and appeared to beryllium headed for repetition occurrence astatine the Oscars successful March.

In an interrogation with Variety‘s “Awards Circuit” podcast, which dropped Thursday, Saldaña expressed her sadness that the contention is overshadowing the film’s historical achievements.

“I’m sad. Time and clip again, that’s the connection due to the fact that that is the sentiment that has been surviving successful my thorax since everything happened,” she said. “I’m besides disappointed. I can’t talk for different people’s actions. All I tin attest to is my experience, and ne'er successful a cardinal years did I ever judge that we would beryllium here.”

Saldaña said she’s trying to onslaught the analyzable equilibrium betwixt acknowledging atrocious behaviour portion besides celebrating a movie and a show that made her proud.

“I’m allowing myself to inactive acquisition that joyousness due to the fact that we did travel unneurotic arsenic a team,” she said. “But we are besides individuals who are liable for everything that we accidental and everything that we do.”

“I tin inactive basal by a assemblage of enactment that I tin beryllium arrogant of,” she aboriginal reiterated, adding that she “will ever beryllium a hopeful person.”

Saldaña, who has often spoken retired against racism, sex inequality and stereotypical representation of Latinx people, besides made it wide that she denounces Gascón’s connection and ideas.

“I bash not enactment immoderate antagonistic rhetoric of racism and bigotry towards immoderate radical of people,” she said. “That is what I privation to basal for.”

Saldaña said she volition usage this acquisition arsenic an accidental to grow.

“You whitethorn judge that it’s conscionable a connection I came up with alongside my team, but astatine the extremity of the day, erstwhile I can’t talk connected behalf of anyone else, I tin lone talk connected behalf of myself and what I witnessed,” she said. “And that needs to beryllium capable for now. I’m inactive processing. I surely deliberation that this is simply a learning experience. Everything successful beingness is simply a learning acquisition for each of us. And the constituent of uncomfortable events is for the involvement of evolution. So I anticipation that we proceed moving successful the close direction.”

Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez and Karla Sofía Gascón prima successful the divisive Netflix philharmonic “Emilia Pérez.”

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

The French-produced, Spanish-language philharmonic directed by Jacques Audiard follows Gascón‘s titular character, a Mexican cartel brag who secretly undergoes gender-affirming country with the assistance of a lawyer, played by Saldaña. It premiered astatine the Cannes Film Festival successful May 2024, wherever it won the assemblage prize and the champion histrion grant for its pistillate ensemble, which includes Selena Gomez.

Before Gascón’s posts became the halfway of treatment astir the film, audiences had already levied criticism against the movie’s portrayals of Mexico and transgender identity.

After the tweet contention erupted, Gascón deactivated her X account, but has not remained silent.

In an interview that Netflix had not authorized, Gascón appeared connected CNN en Español and said, “I person been convicted and sacrificed and crucified and stoned without a proceedings and without the enactment to support myself.”

Gascón besides told CNN that Saldaña supports her. Saldaña addressed that assertion successful the Variety interrogation by taking “a agelong blink” and not confirming. She alternatively reiterated that she did not enactment Gascón’s views.

The streamer has subsequently halted Gascón’s awards campaign. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Gascón volition nary longer be the AFI Awards, Critics Choice Awards, Producers Guild Awards (where she was acceptable to present) oregon Santa Barbara International Film Festival. She has already been removed from immoderate of Netflix’s integer awards campaigns.

Spanish-language publication steadfast Dos Bigotes besides announced Thursday that it would suspend its plans to republish a revised mentation of Gascón’s 2018 biographical novel. The publishing house specializes successful uplifting divers authors and books with LGBTQ+ and feminist themes. In its statement, the enactment said, portion its leaders did not privation to “feed controversy,” they felt Gascón’s values and ideals are inconsistent with their own.

“Emilia Pérez” is nominated for a starring 11 Oscars and Gascón is the first retired transgender actor to beryllium nominated successful an acting category.