As Emilia Perez

remains mired in controversy, Netflix now speaks out about the film and its embattled star, Karla Sofía Gascón. Directed by Jacques Audiard, the Netflix musical thriller, which chronicles the interwoven lives of three women in Mexico, was released on the streamer in November. Emilia Perez reviews have been generally positive from critics, but the film has proven especially divisive with audiences, with criticism aimed at its portrayal of Mexico and the ways in which it explores transgender idenтιтy. Then, last month, Gascón’s racist past tweets resurfaced, pushing the controversy into overdrive.

Though Netflix has remained silent on the Gascón matter, Netflix chief content officer Bela Bajaria now finally addresses Emilia Perez‘s controversy during a recent conversation with Matt Belloni of Puck. Bajaria calls what’s happening with the film a “bummer,” highlighting the hard work of all the people who made it:

It’s really a bummer for 100 very incredibly talented people who made an amazing movie. So, for me, it’s really about that.

Belloni then asks about whether Netflix will begin to vet talent and their social media presence more thoroughly, and Bajaria answers in the affirmative, though notes there are issues with this purely because of how many people the company employs:

Yeah, I think we’re having conversations about that. Are we going to actually look at the personal social media of the tens of thousands of people every single day around the world, [given] the amount of original film and TV that we make? And licensing and co-productions? It raises a lot of questions. What should that process look like? If you asked me today, with everything I know, we would still buy the movie.

When Belloni pushes to clarify that Netflix would still have bought the film knowing Gascón’s tweets existed, Bajaria cites the film’s ambition and quality as making it worth it:

That movie is incredible. You want to take those big swings.

What The Controversy Means For Emilia Perez

The Netflix’s Movie’s Oscar Nominations Explained

Though Emilia Perez has only a somewhat lukewarm 72% score on Rotten Tomatoes – and a very poor 17% from audiences, it has been a major awards contender. The film received a staggering 13 Oscar nominations, a rare feat previously accomplished by movies like Gone with the Wind (1939), Forrest Gump (1994), Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), and 2023’s acclaimed Oppenheimer. Though it is up for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress for Zoe Saldaña, and Best Actress for Gascón, the controversy could derail its chances.

Gascón, notably, is now absent from all Emilia Perez awards campaigning, and it’s not clear if she’ll be at the Oscars on March 2. Gascón going dark follows an attempt at damage control and an apology, which did little to help the situation. Several from the Emilia Perez cast have now spoken out about Gascón, with Saldaña saying, via THR, “it just saddens me.” Audiard, too, made his stance clear, telling ᴅᴇᴀᴅline, “what Karla Sofía said is inexcusable.”

Our Take On The Emilia Perez Controversy & Netflix’s Response

The Movie’s Legacy Is Now Even More Complicated

Gascón’s comments could have a fairly major impact on Emilia Perez‘s Oscars chances, but much of the controversy did emerge after voting already closed. It makes sense that Bajaria is standing by the film itself, especially since the vast majority of the people involved in its production do not share Gascón’s views and don’t really have anything to do with that specific part of the controversy.

The controversy surrounding Gascón raises challenging questions about whether the art can be separated from the artist, but it would certainly be reasonable if her past social media posts have soured the movie for many. General audiences, however, don’t seem to be responding to Emilia Perez anyway, so Gascón’s posts may have just added insult to injury.

Source: Puck