The recent controversy surrounding Oscar nominee Karla Sofía Gascón is continuing to spiral.
In case you missed it, in a CNN en Español interview released on Sunday,
Karla Sofía broke down while insisting that her previous online posts do not define who she is,
and insisted that she was not a racist.
She also released a lengthy Instagram statement in which she said, “I am not racist. I have a lot of things to improve in this world, my way of expressing myself [is] one of them. But I will not apologize for something I am not.”
The online posts in question included many expressing anti-Islamic sentiment, posts targeting diversity at the Oscars, and some damning statements about George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement.
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In her statement, she also alleged that people “have created posts as if it were me insulting even my colleagues.” This was likely in reference to a since-deleted post of hers that was circulating in which she referred to her Emilia Pérez costar Selena Gomez as a “rich rat.”
The post was circulated by Latin Times, but from Karla Sofía’s statements, it seems that she was arguing that it was fabricated.
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Karla Sofía also stated in the Sunday interview that her costars Selena Gomez and Zoe Saldaña support her “200%.”
Previously, Zoe Saldaña made a statement on Jan. 31 about the controversy, saying, “It makes me really sad because I don’t support [it], and I don’t have any tolerance for any negative rhetoric towards people of any group.”
She continued, “I can only attest to the experience that I had with each and every individual that was a part, that is a part, of this film, and my experience and my interactions with them was about inclusivity and collaboration and racial, cultural, and gender equity. And it just saddens me. It saddens me that we are having to face this setback right now.”
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In addition to Zoe’s previous statement, Selena Gomez is yet to make any public comment — either in support of Karla as she claims, or in condemnation of her offensive posts. However, Emilia Pérez directer Jaques Audiard released a statement on Feb. 5 condemning Karla Sofía’s behavior and stating that Karla Sofía was in a “self-destructive approach.”
![He added, “I’m thinking... of how [she’s] hurting others, of how she’s hurting the crew and all these people who worked so incredibly hard on this film. I’m thinking of myself, I’m thinking of Zoe [Saldaña] and Selena [Gomez]. I just don’t understand why she’s continuing to harm us.”](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/nPp6Q2JpKikUck4QtGUnyg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTE0NDA-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/buzzfeed_articles_778/5c2298f21c2294cf174c9e3cd2325c0c)
He added, “I’m thinking… of how [she’s] hurting others, of how she’s hurting the crew and all these people who worked so incredibly hard on this film. I’m thinking of myself, I’m thinking of Zoe [Saldaña] and Selena [Gomez]. I just don’t understand why she’s continuing to harm us.”
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And as well as the distance from her costars and director, Netflix has reportedly enforced a divide with Karla Sofía, with a source telling Variety on Tuesday that they will no longer be funding her attendance at upcoming awards shows.
Now, Zoe has responded to Karla Sofía’s claims about her alleged “200% support” of her disgraced costar.
In an upcoming episode of the Variety Awards Circuit podcast, Zoe was asked about the claim. When questioned about the topic, Zoe apparently took “a long blink,” and did not confirm the statement. Which, in my opinion, totally says it all.
“I do not support any negative rhetoric of racism and bigotry towards any group of people. That is what I want to stand for,” she concluded.
Can you imagine the dumpster fire that is the Emilia Pérez cast group chat right now? LMK your thoughts.
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