Selena Gomez Says “Some of the Magic Has Disappeared” From Emilia Pérez Amid Karla Sofía Gascón Scandal

More than a week ago, Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón’s offensive past tweets effectively torpedoed the larger awards odds for her Netflix film, and led her to eventually withdraw from campaigning. That left her co-stars Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez to deal with the public wreckage.

While receiving an honor at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Sunday, Gomez was asked about her current emotional state amid the controversy. “I’m really good,” she replied. “Some of the magic has disappeared, but I choose to continue to be proud of what I’ve done, and I’m just—I’m just grateful and live with no regrets.” Gomez, whose performance was nominated at the BAFTAs and Golden Globes, added: “I would do this movie over and over again if I could.”

On January 30, writer and podcaster Sarah Hagi unearthed several inflammatory remarks on Gascón’s now deactivated X account that were racist and Islamaphobic. One appeared to pertain to Gomez, who plays Jessi, Gascón’s character’s wife in Emilia Pérez. In 2022, a post on Gascón’s Twitter account allegedly referred to Gomez as a “rich rat.” During an interview with CNN en Español that Gascón arranged without Netflix’s knowledge, she claimed not to “recognize” the message: “It’s not mine, of course. I have never said anything about my colleague; I would never refer to her that way.” In the days before and since that interview, Gascón has continued to release apologies and statements on her Instagram account.

Shortly after the story first broke, Saldaña addressed Gascón’s comments. “I don’t have any tolerance for any negative rhetoric towards people of any group,” she said during a Q&A in London. “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 incredibly 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.”

Emilia Pérez director Jacques Audiard has also distanced himself from his leading lady, telling Deadline last week: “I haven’t spoken to her, and I don’t want to.”

Last fall, prior to the film’s release on Netflix, Gomez praised Gascón’s performance, telling Vanity Fair: “She actually carried the whole film, and we followed her lead when it came to anything sensitive. She challenged me. In some of our scenes, she wasn’t afraid to get in my face. And I loved it because I had to match that energy.”

In that same cover story, Gascón told VF that she was well aware of Gomez, in part because her 13-year-old daughter is a devoted fan—even going so far as to warn her mother to make a good impression on the singer. As Gascón recalled, “She told me, ‘You better treat her well!’”