Netflix chief: Emilia Pérez controversy a 'bummer'

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Tweets posted by best actress nominee Karla Sofía Gascón, mostly between 2019 and 2024, have caused significant fallout and left the film's awards campaign in disarray.

Gascón has released several statements and given interviews since the controversy began, but in a new Instagram post she said she now wanted to step back and "let the work talk for itself".

She added she hoped her silence would "allow the film to be appreciated for what it is, a beautiful ode to love and difference".

Gascón had already pulled out of appearing at several awards season events in the coming days. It is not yet clear whether she will still attend the Oscars on 2 March.

Her latest statement follows an interview the film's director Jacques Audiard gave to Deadline, in which he condemned Gascón's tweets and said he was no longer in contact with her.

In her new statement, Gascón said: "Following Jacques' interview that I understand, I decided, for the film, for Jacques, for the cast, for the incredible crew who deserves it, for the beautiful adventure we all had together, to let the work talk for itself."

She also reiterated her regret for her original tweets, saying that she wanted to "sincerely apologise to everyone who has been hurt along the way".

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The original tweets saw Gascón make comments about Islam, George Floyd, and the high level of diversity at the Oscars.

After they were brought to light, Gascón said she was "deeply sorry to those I have caused pain", adding that she is not racist and that many of her comments had been taken out of context.

In the days since, Hollywood has distanced itself from her posts, while Netflix appears to have refocused its campaign efforts on the film's other nominees.

Netflix has not publicly commented (BBC News approached the streamer for this article), but the company has been distancing itself from her comments in recent days.

Here is how the campaign around Gascón has changed, following the controversy.

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At this time of year, film studios take out advertisements intended to make a particular film more visible to awards voters.

The movie will have already have had a separate promotional push at the time of its release, targeted at the public in the hope of securing high box office or streaming numbers.

But the For Your Consideration (FYC) adverts which run during awards season are specifically intended to draw awards voters' attention to the categories the film has been nominated in at events such as the Baftas and Oscars.

Previously, Gascón featured prominently in Netflix's publicity material, which reminded voters that she was nominated for best leading actress.

But an updated FYC poster released on Monday almost entirely erased Gascón, instead making her co-stars Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez much more prominent.

"The shift suggests Netflix is trying to minimize Gascón's contributions so that the controversy around her remarks won't overshadow the film or the work of her co-stars and collaborators," suggested Variety's Clayton Davis.

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Gascón released several statements following the controversy, mostly via her social media accounts.

But she also gave an emotional, hour-long sit-down interview to CNN en Español.

It has since come to light that Gascón took part in the interview without the involvement or agreement of the film's PR team.

The Hollywood Reporter said it had learned that the actress "set up the interview on her own without the involvement of anyone working on the film, which was distributed by Netflix".

The fact that this line has been briefed to US journalists suggests Netflix is not only distancing itself from Gascón, but that the streamer's own PR team would not have signed off on such an interview being granted.

Often, publicity teams advise a celebrity in crisis not to give too many interviews and statements, as it can keep a negative story alive for longer or even make the situation worse.

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Gascón had been due to appear at several events in the next week or so.

These included the AFI Awards luncheon, the Critics Choice Awards, the Directors Guild of America Awards, the Producers Guild of America Awards, and the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

However, the actress is now not expected to appear at any of them, as the turmoil continues.

And that's not all. According to Variety, Netflix and the film's PR team have stopped talking directly with Gascón and are only communicating through an agent.

The publication also reported the streamer "is no longer covering expenses for her travel to the various awards shows or her styling for any appearances at these events".

It remains to be seen whether Gascón will attend the Oscars, which are scheduled to take place on 2 March.

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Many film fans (ourselves included) love the so-called "Fab Five" format, which has been employed at some recent Oscars ceremonies.

This sees five previous winners of a particular category take to the stage to present the latest winner with the same prize.

For example, last year, Emma Stone was presented with the best actress trophy by previous winners Michelle Yeoh, Jennifer Lawrence, Sally Field, Jessica Lange and Charlize Theron.

Traditionally, this format sees each of the previous winners deliver a short speech, paying tribute to the current nominees, before revealing the winner.

However, it's understood that the Academy has moved away from doing this in the acting categories this year, which means no actress will be asked to praise Gascón's performance from the stage.

Despite speculation, the decision appears to have been unprompted by the recent controversy.

Instead, Variety reports the Academy decided to ditch the fab five format for the acting categories several weeks ago, before the tweets came to light, and instead is deploying it in different categories this year, such as best director.

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Emilia Pérez, a bonkers Spanish-language musical about a Mexican drug lord who changes gender, received 13 Oscar nominations, although it was not necessarily expected to be the biggest winner on the night.

It has stiff competition in several categories, including best picture, but it was thought to be a frontrunner in a few in particular, such as best original song, and best supporting actress for Zoe Saldaña.

It was widely thought Saldaña would run away with the trophy, not just for her acclaimed performance, but also because there is a lot of goodwill from voters because of her roles in box office smashes such as the Avatar and Marvel movies.

After Gascón's tweets came to light, Saldaña said: "It makes me really sad because I don't support [it], and I don't have any tolerance for any negative rhetoric towards people of any group.

"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 about inclusivity and collaboration and racial, cultural and gender equity. And it just saddens me."

Then, on Sunday, Saldaña used her speech at the London Critics Circle Awards to tell the audience to be "abstract with your idea of redemption".

Oscar voters and awards pundits will be watching forthcoming events such as the Bafta Film Awards and SAG Awards to see whether Saldaña can still follow through with her expected win.

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Meanwhile, director Jacques Audiard told Deadline he has avoided getting in touch with Gascón because "right now she needs space to reflect and take accountability for her actions".

"Very unfortunately, it is taking up all the space, and that makes me very sad," he said.

"It's very hard for me to think back to the work I did with Karla Sofía. The trust we shared, the exceptional atmosphere that we had on the set that was indeed based on trust.

"And when you have that kind of relationship and suddenly you read something that that person has said, things that are absolutely hateful and worthy of being hated, of course that relationship is affected. It's as if you fall into a hole. Because what Karla Sofía said is inexcusable."

As for Emilia Pérez as a whole, the controversy could make its chances of a best picture win far less likely, particularly in a year where there is no breakout frontrunner for best picture.