In a lengthy new statement, Karla Sofía Gascón reflected on the bumpy ride that was her Academy Awards campaign, revealing that she “contemplated the unthinkable” and “will commit to continuing to learn and listen” in the aftermath.
The Emilia Pérez star was first embroiled in scandal when her tweets were resurfaced by journalist Sarah Hagi, in which the Spanish trans actress espoused anti-Islam and racist thinking. The ensuing fallout led to tensions between Gascón and film distributor/streamer Netflix, and the star skipped typical pre-Oscars events like the BAFTA, SAG and Goya Awards. In the weeks since, however, animus has seemed to cool, given that she attended the Oscars on Netflix’s dime and was lightheartedly ribbed by host Conan O’Brien. Most recently, Gascón thanked the Academy for her recognition and invitation to the ceremony.
Shared with The Hollywood Reporter, Gascón — who admitted she was “working on several projects” — reiterated, “With no excuse, and without any intention to justify any of my past actions, I apologize to all I have offended at any point in my life and throughout my journey. I humbly ask for their forgiveness and, to honor their kindness and understanding, I promise I will commit to continuing to learn and listen, so as not to make the same mistakes in the future.”
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Gascón also seemingly addressed additional controversies with the film, voicing support for Mexico and its residents, following backlash against French filmmaker Jacques Audiard, who previously called Spanish the language of “the poor and migrants” and said he had not researched Mexican history prior to making the film, about a Mexican cartel boss aiming to retire and undergo transition (played by Gascón).
The film was deeply unpopular in Mexico, where it is screened to empty theaters and prompted a parody short film response titled “Johanne Sacreblu,” billed as “a French-inspired film made entirely without a French cast or crew.” In response, Audiard told Deadline exclusively, “It seems I’m being attacked in the court of realism. Well, I’ve never claimed that I wanted to make a realistic work.”
Following her Best Supporting Actress win at the Oscars, star Zoe Saldaña also added of the criticism in a statement to a Mexican journalist, “I’m very, very sorry that you and so many Mexicans felt offended, that was never our intention, we came from a place of love and I stand by that. I don’t share your opinion. For me, the heart of this movie was not Mexico; we weren’t making a film about a country, we were making a film about four women, and these women could have been Russian, could have been Dominican, could have been Black from Detroit, could have been from Israel, could have been from Gaza, and these women were still very universal women, but are struggling every day, they’re trying to survive systemic oppression and trying to find their most authentic voices. So, I will stand by that.”
Read Gascón’s full statement below:
“Sometimes, we put on a shield to protect ourselves, so that harm does not reach our hearts, our skin, or our souls. I have my own armor too, like anyone else. It’s not pretty, but it has saved my life a couple of times.The problem is, precisely, that shields can be cold and hard on the outside and can also hurt those around you. That is what happened to me, to those who love me, and to those who believed in me.
Lately, as I have been the target of harmful words, I have also said hurtful things throughout my life that have caused others to feel offended—things done and said from fear, from my own ignorance, from my own pain, from the outside of that cold, upsetting shield.
With no excuse, and without any intention to justify any of my past actions, I apologize to all I have offended at any point in my life and throughout my journey. I humbly ask for their forgiveness and, to honor their kindness and understanding, I promise I will commit to continuing to learn and listen, so as not to make the same mistakes in the future.
For the last few years of my life, I went out into the world and gave my best to bring visibility to a historically overlooked group—a group that is part of my identity and my own reality. I have been defending and reflecting the life of a trans woman trapped in the worst possible place: the body of a criminal immersed in an extreme patriarchy. While doing so, my purpose was always to do it with as much dignity as possible, showing a story of struggle and resistance that deserved to be told. I poured my soul, my life, and my essence into this project, working side by side with great Mexican friends who helped me convey a message of hope: we can all be better people, no matter our starting point or our beginnings in this quest called life.
Mexico holds an indelible place in my heart. In this magnetic and amazing country, I was allowed to establish my career as an actor, and I have received friendship, affection, and human warmth I will never forget. Since the day my dear Julián Pastor, a legendary film director, opened his doors to me, my love for this land and its people became eternal.
My commitment to stand for Mexico, all Mexicans, and for the rights of the most disadvantaged remains strong. You will always find me on the opposite side of fanaticism, imposition, patriarchy, fascism, dictatorships, terror, abuse, and irrationality. I do not bind myself to any political flag; I only try to be a human being in constant evolution, with successes and failures, but with an unbreakable will to learn, listen, admit mistakes, apologize, and forgive others as I forgive myself for the unnecessary pain I have caused.
Because of my daughter, and for future generations, I want to open an honest discussion and reflection on mental health. Throughout different stages of my life, I have gone through dark moments—episodes in which despair led me to unexpected places. In this last episode, the most talked about and most exposed of my life, several fake accounts were created in my name to add to the pain and confusion. Absurd and even delirious accusations were thrown at me, which deeply hurt my spirit. Things escalated to a point, and so quickly, that I couldn’t even breathe.
Amid this unexpected, devastating storm, there have been moments when the pain has been so overwhelming that I contemplated the unthinkable. I harbored darker thoughts than those I considered in some of my previous, no less intimate and personal struggles. And I asked myself: if I, with all my strength and preparedness to deal with rage and rejection, am on the edge, what would have become of someone with fewer emotional resources to resist this onslaught? Somehow, I made it. Others would not have survived this brutal winter I am about to wrap up.
Now that the storm is calming down a bit, and the worst has passed (or so I hope), I start seeing clearly what I have learned. I’ve learned that hatred, like fire, cannot be put down with more hatred. Offenses cannot be erased with more offenses, and mistakes cannot clean up other mistakes, especially when lies and falseness proliferate all around and when all they send back to me is pure rage, blatant bullying, vexation, scorn, and even death threats.
Fortunately, I have kept my one inch of sanity to see the light at the end of this tunnel of hate and understand that I must be and do better, and correct my past faults, without engaging in more darkness. Otherwise, if I play their game, and reciprocate and amplify all that hate others project on me, I will get lost; I will never move forward, and I won’t be able to keep helping others still stuck in the storm.
The responsibility to care for ourselves as a society lies with each one of us. As Martin Luther King Jr said, “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” Therefore, if there is something that must guide us in these difficult days, it is empathy with those, like me, who have walked on the edge most of our lives, who believed we were a mistake, and then, we made mistakes. As Albert Camus stated, “there is only one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide,” because it confronts us with the very meaning of existence. I am not quoting these words to insinuate anything or point at myself, but for those others who would not have been able to endure what I just have endured.
Only through understanding, compassion, forgiveness, and empathy can we build a world where difference is not synonymous with condemnation, but with richness. A world where we can learn and grow as we go. A world where we can all put our shields aside and be ourselves.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
The post Karla Sofía Gascón Reflects On Controversy-Filled Oscars Season: “Others Would Not Have Survived This Brutal Winter” appeared first on Deadline.
