Movie buffs you know awards season is always full of surprises and drama. This year one of the biggest storylines swirling around the Oscars involved Karla Sofía Gascón the lead actress nominated for Best Actress for her role in the musical crime drama Emilia Pérez . But it wasn't just about the nominations there was a whole lot of controversy brewing too!
'Emilia Pérez' Bags Two Oscars But Did Controversy Dampen the Celebration?
Emilia Pérez actually went into the Oscars with a whopping 13 nominations leading the pack! That is a ton of love from the Academy. The movie was nominated for some major awards like Best Picture Best Director and acting nods for both Karla Sofía Gascón for Best Actress and Zoë Saldaña for Best Supporting Actress.
In the end Emilia Pérez took home two Oscars. Zoë Saldaña won Best Supporting Actress and the movie also won for Best Original Song for "El Mal." Some folks are wondering if the movie might have won even more if it wasn't for a social media storm surrounding Karla Sofía Gascón and some old tweets.
Even with the controversy Zoë Saldaña's win was definitely a highlight. She gave a super emotional acceptance speech talking about her Dominican roots and her grandmother. It was a powerful moment and showed how much the award meant to her. She even mentioned how special it was to win for a role where she got to sing and speak Spanish.
Offensive Tweets and Award Season Fallout: Karla Sofía Gascón's Controversy Explained
So what was this tweet drama all about? After Karla Sofía Gascón's historic Best Actress nomination some old social media posts of hers resurfaced and they were not good. The tweets from a few years back contained offensive content criticizing Muslim culture made comments about George Floyd and diversity and more.
Understandably this caused a lot of backlash. Gascón deactivated her X account and skipped a bunch of the usual pre-Oscars events. It seemed like she was stepping back from the spotlight as the tweet storm grew. She did however release a statement on Instagram apologizing to anyone who was hurt by her words and hoping the film could still be appreciated for its artistic merit.
Even director Jacques Audiard publicly condemned her tweets. It was a really tricky situation and definitely cast a shadow over Emilia Pérez's Oscar run even though the movie itself still snagged those nominations and wins.
Oscars Host Conan O'Brien Jokes About Gascón's Tweets But She Still Attends Ceremony
Despite all the controversy Karla Sofía Gascón did attend the Oscars ceremony itself. She walked the carpet in a stunning black diamond-studded dress. It was definitely a statement to be there in person amidst all the noise.
Oscars host Conan O'Brien even addressed the tweet controversy in his opening monologue. He made a joke comparing the number of F-words in the Best Picture winner Anora to the number of "F-words" used by Karla Sofia Gascon's publicist dealing with the tweet fallout. He then directly addressed Gascón in the audience with another joke referencing Jimmy Kimmel's name in case she was going to tweet about the Oscars. It was a way to acknowledge the elephant in the room with some classic Oscars humor.
Before the Oscars Gascón had also attended the César Awards in Paris. That was her first public appearance after the tweets resurfaced. She was nominated for Best Actress there too showing that despite the US controversy she was still being recognized for her performance.
Zoë Saldaña "Disappointed" But Still "Proud" of 'Emilia Pérez' Amidst Co-Star's Scandal
Karla Sofía Gascón's Emilia Pérez co-star Zoë Saldaña also spoke out about the tweet situation. Saldaña said she was "really sad" about the controversy and made it clear she does not tolerate negativity towards any group. She later said she was "disappointed" in Gascón's actions.
However Saldaña also stated that she was still "proud" of Emilia Pérez as a work of art. She emphasized that she was raised to be accepting of all people and while disagreeing with Gascon’s tweets she could still stand by the film itself. It's a complicated situation for everyone involved but Saldaña tried to balance condemning the tweets with supporting the movie they all worked on.
Mixed Reactions to 'Emilia Pérez': Oscar Wins vs. Audience Distaste and "Awful Trans Stories" Debate
Even with the Oscar wins Emilia Pérez is a movie that has definitely divided people. Critics are mixed some liked it some didn't. But audiences seem to really dislike it. The movie has a super low audience score of only 16% on Rotten Tomatoes . That is pretty harsh.
Some critics have pointed out that Emilia Pérez might be getting awards attention despite telling a "terrible trans story." There is a wider discussion about whether the Oscars sometimes rewards films that are trans-related even if those films are seen as misrepresenting or even harming the trans community. Some have compared it to other controversial Oscar winners like Green Book that also faced criticism after winning Best Picture.
Key Takeaways: Karla Sofía Gascón Oscars and 'Emilia Pérez' Controversy
- Emilia Pérez won 2 Oscars: Best Supporting Actress (Zoë Saldaña) and Best Original Song.
- Movie had 13 Oscar nominations: Led all films in nominations but won only 2.
- Karla Sofía Gascón Best Actress nominee: Historic nomination for a trans actress but did not win.
- Tweet controversy: Old offensive tweets resurfaced causing backlash and affecting her award season presence.
- Gascón attended Oscars: Appeared at the ceremony despite the controversy.
- Conan O'Brien joked about tweets: Host included tweet controversy in his opening monologue.
- Zoë Saldaña "disappointed" but "proud": Co-star reacted to controversy while supporting the film.
- Mixed reception for Emilia Pérez: Audience dislike and debate about rewarding "awful trans stories."