Selena Gomez is proud of the work in Emilia Pérez despite all the controversy surrounding her costar Karla Sofía Gascón.
At the Santa Barbara International Film Festival over the weekend (via The Hollywood Reporter), a moderator asked Gomez how she was faring amid all the scrutiny swirling around her film, to which she said, “I’m really good.”
“Some of the magic has disappeared, but I choose to continue to be proud of what I’ve done, and I’m just grateful and live with no regrets,” added the star. “And I would do this movie over and over again if I could.”
Gascón, who portrays the titular Emilia Pérez in the Academy Award-nominated musical thriller, drew backlash after racially-charged social media posts from 2021 resurfaced online. The posts disparaged Islam, George Floyd, and Oscar’s diversity efforts.
The actress, who made history as the first openly transgender artist to be nominated for an Oscars acting category, has apologized, but the fallout has been swift. There have been calls for Gascón to withdraw from the Oscars race, which she made clear she did not intend to oblige. “I have not committed any crime nor have I harmed anyone,” Gascón told CNN. “I am neither racist nor anything that all these people have tried to make others believe I am.”
The film’s director Jacques Audiard has also distanced himself from Gascón. “She is in a self-destructive approach that I can’t interfere in, and I really don’t understand why she’s continuing,” Audiard told Deadline earlier this month. “Why is she harming herself? Why? I don’t understand it.” He also accused the star of “hurting the crew and all these people who worked so incredibly hard on this film.”
Along with Gomez, costar Zoe Saldaña has also been asked to weigh in on the controversy. Saldaña, nominated for an Oscar in the Best Supporting Actress category, recently told Variety she was “sad” and “disappointed” by the ordeal. “I can’t speak for other people’s actions,” she said. “All I can attest to is my experience, and never in a million years did I ever believe that we would be here.”
Emilia Pérez tells the story of a Mexican lawyer, Rita (Saldaña), as she’s recruited to help a notorious crime boss (Gascón) retire and fulfill a lifelong desire to transition into living life as a woman. It won the Cannes Jury Prize and, most recently, four Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. It received 13 nominations at the upcoming Oscars, including Best Picture.