Late last month, Townhall reported how Karla Sofía Gascón, who is from Spain, became the first openly transgender actress” to be nominated for an Academy Award.
Gascón plays the lead in the musical “Emilia Pérez,” which is about a Mexican cartel boss who undergoes “gender-affirming surgery” to live as a woman.
Gascón, 52, came out as transgender in 2016, according to The New York Times. He is known for his work in Mexican telenovelas.
Predictably, Gascón’s nomination for an Academy Award was celebrated by the left. That didn’t last for long.
The Hollywood Reporter unveiled that Gascón would be removed from the “Emilia Pérez” Oscar campaign over statements he made on social media in the past that were deemed “racist,” among other things (via The Hollywood Reporter):
In a Jan. 28 interview, she made comments that implied, without evidence, that people associated with fellow best actress Oscar nominee Fernanda Torres (I’m Still Here) were behind attacks on her, which prompted a swift backlash from many, including the army of Brazilians who have been passionately championing Torres and her film online all season long.
Shortly thereafter, coincidentally or not, tweets posted over the past few years by Gascón, containing bigoted commentary about a wide array of marginalized communities and even the Oscars itself, were unearthed and circulated on X (formerly Twitter). The whole thing has since gone viral and turned Gascón, who quickly deactivated her X account, into Hollywood’s version of Gary Condit, John Edwards or George Santos — in other words, completely toxic. At this point, Mel Gibson is probably more popular in town.
Now, Gascón will not attend the AFI Awards Luncheon, the Critics Choice Awards, and the Producers Guild Awards leading up to the Academy Awards. This is because Netflix, which owns the distribution rights to “Emilia Pérez,” has decided to distance itself from Gascón (via The Hollywood Reporter):
The two parties are now said to be communicating only through Gascón’s agent, Jeremy Barber of UTA. And it is my understanding that 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 streamer is not the only party interested in distancing itself from Gascón. THR has learned that others who were to have attended some of the aforementioned events alongside the actress, such as the Santa Barbara Film Festival event, had indicated that they might have to cancel their participation if she did not cancel hers, out of concern that things could get very uncomfortable with her there.
Gascón has been removed from email marketing campaigns and ad-reads promoting the film. This was done, in part, to keep “Emilia Pérez’s” other nominees “clear from the Gascón debris field.”
At the Golden Globes last month, Gascón was celebrated after “Emilia Pérez” won an award and he spoke on behalf of the cast.
“I chose these colors tonight—the Buddhist colors—because I have a message I have for you. The light always wins over darkness. You can put us in jail, you can beat us up, but you can never take away our soul or our resistance or our identity. I want to say to you, raise your voice and say that I won, I am who I am, not who you want [me to be],” Gascón said.
It appears this kind of warm reception will not carry over to the Academy Awards.
Karla Sofía Gascón says "the light always wins" in a moving speech following 'Emilia Perez' winning Best Picture, Comedy or Musical at the #GoldenGlobes. pic.twitter.com/4x9lx6f7DU
— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) January 6, 2025
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