‘Emilia Pérez’ Oscar-nominee Karla Sofía Gascón faces backlash over resurfaced posts on George Floyd and Islam

Early Thursday morning, screenshots of Gascón’s past posts on X began circulating online, sparking heated debate

Amid the buzz surrounding her historic Oscar nomination for Emilia Pérez, Karla Sofía Gascón has come under fire for controversial social media posts resurfacing from recent years. The Spanish actress, who made history as the first trans performer nominated for Best Actress, is facing criticism over remarks she made about George Floyd, Islam, and diversity in the film industry.

Early Thursday morning, screenshots of Gascón’s past posts on X (formerly Twitter) began circulating online, sparking heated debate. In a June 2020 thread, posted shortly after George Floyd’s murder ignited global protests, Gascón wrote a post questioning the response to Floyd’s death. Her tweet read:

“Let me get this straight, a guy tries to pass off a counterfeit bill after consuming methamphetamine, an idiot policeman arrives and goes too far in arresting him, killing him, ruining the lives of his family and his colleagues, and turning the guy with the bill into a martyr hero,” she wrote (in Spanish, which was translated here by Google Translate). “I truly believe that very few people ever cared about George Floyd, a drug addict and a hustler, but his death has served to highlight once again that there are those who still consider Black people to be monkeys without rights and those who consider the police to be murderers. All wrong.”

Later that year, Gascón’s posts took aim at Islam, questioning the growing Muslim presence in Spain. She expressed discomfort with seeing more women wearing headscarves and suggested that Arabic could soon replace English in schools. In another post, she called for banning religions that “violate human rights,” specifically naming Islam.

Her past remarks extended to the Oscars as well. Commenting on the 2021 ceremony, where Nomadland won Best Picture, she criticised the event for prioritising independent and socially conscious films, likening it to an “Afro-Korean festival” or a “Black Lives Matter demonstration.”

The backlash intensified as users tagged the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, arguing that her statements violated the Academy’s code of conduct. Vanity Fair writer Chris Murphy joined the outcry, posting, “For the love of God, do not give this woman an Oscar!!!” Despite the uproar, the Academy determined that Gascón had not violated any rules, as her comments did not target a fellow nominee directly.

Gascón also recently made headlines for criticising the social media team involved with her fellow Best Actress nominee, I’m Still Here star Fernanda Torres. “I have never, at any point, said anything bad about Fernanda Torres or her movie,” she said in an interview. “However, there are people working with Fernanda Torres tearing me and Emilia Pérez down. That speaks more about their movie than mine.” She later clarified that her remarks were not an attack on Torres but on “toxicity and violent hate speech on social media.”

Meanwhile, Emilia Pérez, which has earned a record-breaking 13 Oscar nominations for a non-English language film, has faced criticism from both the LGBTQ+ community and audiences in Mexico. The film, which follows a cartel boss transitioning into a woman, has been accused of reinforcing Mexican stereotypes. Advocacy group GLAAD called it “a profoundly retrograde portrayal of a trans woman” and “a step backward” for representation.

French director Jacques Audiard has since apologised, stating, “If there are things that seem shocking in Emilia Pérez, then I am sorry … Cinema doesn’t provide answers, it only asks questions. But maybe the questions in Emilia Pérez are incorrect.”

In a recent interview, Gascón addressed online criticism, attributing it to toxic social media culture. “Social media is a lie,” she stated. “The reality is in the street. It’s people who come up to you to say thank you.”

Published - January 31, 2025 11:50 am IST