‘Self-destructive’ Emilia Perez Oscars scandal explodes

The chaos surrounding the year’s most Oscar-nominated movie is worsening, as the film’s director goes against his lead actress.

The controversy surrounding this year’s most-nominated film at the Academy Awards, Emilia Perez, shows no signs of slowing down, with the film’s director now giving an extraordinary interview speaking out against his lead actress.

Spanish actress Karla Sofia Gascon plays the film’s titular role, and is nominated for the Best Actress Oscar at this year’s ceremony – making her the first openly transgender person ever nominated for an acting Oscar.

But since last week her Oscar campaign has been in tatters, after many of the star’s offensive past tweets resurfaced on social media. In the tweets – some posted as recently as a couple of years ago – Gascon makes disparaging remarks about different races and ethnic groups, about a past Oscar ceremony, and about celebrities including Miley Cyrus and her future Emilia Perez co-star, Selena Gomez (whom she referred to as a “rich rat”).

Director Jacques Audiard (left) says he doesn’t want to speak to his lead actress, Karla Sofia Gascon (right). Picture: Raul ARBOLEDA / AFP

Now, the film’s director Jacques Audiard has given a jaw-dropping new interview to Deadline, distancing himself from the woman at the centre of his film.

“I haven’t spoken to her, and I don’t want to,” he told the outlet.

“She is in a self-destructive approach that I can’t interfere in, and I really don’t understand why she’s continuing. Why is she harming herself? Why? I don’t understand it, and what I don’t understand about this too is why she’s harming people who were very close to her,” he continued.

Karla Sofia Gascon has not stayed quiet as the backlash against her swelled. She’s released several public apologies that were not well received – in one, she insisted the old tweets had resurfaced due to a “campaign of hate and misinformation” against her. She later sat down for an emotional hour-long interview on Spanish CNN to defend herself.

And it appears she’s gone on this ill-advised publicity tour without the backing of Netflix, the studio responsible for making Emilia Perez.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the streaming giant has removed the actress from its Oscars campaign, despite the star being up for the Best Actress among the film’s 13 other Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director for Audiard and Best Supporting Actress for Zoe Saldana.

Gascon has gone rogue since her social media scandal surfaced, releasing multiple statements and giving a lengthy, emotional TV interview. Picture: Raul ARBOLEDA / AFP

With Oscar season in full swing, Gascon was expected to attend several industry events in the coming days, including tomorrow’s AFI Awards luncheon in Los Angeles and Saturday’s Critics Choice Awards.

However, THR reports that in the light of Gascón’s problematic comments, Netflix has “no great interest” to cover her transportation costs from Spain or locally in the US, her accommodations, or to facilitate her attendance at any of the events leading up to the Oscars next month.

“There is no great interest on the part of Netflix to provide the usual courtesies afforded by a studio to an Oscar contender, such as transportation and accommodations, to facilitate her attendance at the remaining awards season gatherings,” the outlet reported.

One picture, circulating on social media, reveals the divide between the star of Emilia Perez and the rest of the cast and crew, clearly still hoping to salvage a few Oscar wins as voting for the awards remains open.

The new For Your Consideration poster for Emilia Perez.

Zoe Saldana has already picked up a Golden Globe for her work in the film. Picture: Getty Images

A newly-released For Your Consideration poster for Emilia Perez, used to tout the film among Academy voters, contains 11 separate shots from the movie – none of them featuring its lead actress.

In fact, Gascon has been entirely scrubbed from the poster, which highlights Saldana’s Best Supporting Actress nomination over her co-star’s Best Actress nod.

Saldana said she was “still processing” the controversy during a recent Q&A session about the film in London.

“It makes me really sad because I don’t support and don’t have any tolerance for any negative rhetoric towards people of any group,” she said.