Who is Karla Sofia Gascón? Emilia Pérez star nominated for Oscar

Gascón's Oscar nomination for Best Actress came after her performance in the film was similarly recognised by the BAFTAs, Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards, and initially, it looked like there was a chance she'd make history again by bringing home the trophy too.

But that possibility now appears to be severely threatened after the actor received widespread backlash over old social media posts, which led to the star issuing an apology.

Wondering who Gascón is, what she's starred in before and why she's been receiving criticism over resurfaced tweets? Read on for everything you need to know about the actor.

Who is Karla Sofia Gascón?

Gascón is a Spanish actor best known for her performance as the titular character in Emilia Pérez.

How old is Karla Sofia Gascón?

Gascón is 52 years old.

What has Karla Sofia Gascón previously starred in?

Before bagging the titular role in Emilia Pérez, the actor was best known for starring in a handful of telenovelas, as well as Telemundo’s International Emmy-winning El Señor de los Cielos and the Netflix Mexican drama Rebelde.

Karla Sofia Gascón controversy explained

Gascón came under fire for a series of posts to her account on X (formerly known as Twitter), in which the actor made remarks about Muslims, George Floyd and diversity at the Oscars that led to accusations of racism and Islamophobia.

The posts, many of which were deleted after they were resurfaced by journalist Sarah Hagi on Thursday 30th January, were largely penned by the actor between 2020 and 2021.

Gascón subsequently issued an apology, telling Variety in a statement on Thursday: “I want to acknowledge the conversation around my past social media posts that have caused hurt."

She continued: “As someone in a marginalised community, I know this suffering all too well and I am deeply sorry to those I have caused pain. All my life I have fought for a better world. I believe light will always triumph over darkness.”

Gascón then announced that she has decided not to withdraw from the Oscars.

During an interview on CNN on 3rd February, she said: "I cannot step down from an Oscar nomination because I have not committed any crime, nor have I harmed anyone. I am neither racist nor anything that all these people have tried to make others believe I am."

She continued: "I have been judged, condemned, sacrificed, crucified, and stoned without a trial and without the option to defend myself."

The actor went on to claim that she didn't "recognise" some of the resurfaced posts and said that one supposed post calling Selena Gomez "a rich rat" was fabricated. "It's not mine," Gascón said.

Meanwhile, in a separate Instagram post, the actor defended herself and hit out at people trying to "stain [her] existence with lies or things taken out of context".

"They have created [posts] as if it were me insulting even my colleagues, things I wrote to glorify as if they were criticism, jokes as if they were reality, words that without the background only seem hate," she wrote.

What do Karla Sofia Gascón's tweets mean for Emilia Pérez's Oscar prospects?

A new report from The Hollywood Reporter suggests that Netflix is distancing itself from the actor in an attempt to salvage Emilia Pérez's Oscar prospects.

According to the publication, the streaming platform, which is the film's distributer, has removed the actor from promotional emails and plans to edit the movie's posters so that the other cast members have more prominence, according to the publication.

The report also claims that Netflix will not cover the costs for the star to promote the film.

Netflix has yet to publicly comment on Gascón's old posts and subsequent news stories.

So, while Gascón has said she won't be withdrawing from the Oscars, her chances of winning Best Actress are looking increasingly slim.

Of course, the ramifications of her posts may not just affect her own hopes of winning an Academy Award, but the film's chances in other categories too – including Best Picture.

Gascón's co-star and Best Supporting Actress frontrunner Zoe Saldaña has distanced herself from Gascón's comments during her own Oscar campaign trail.

"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," she said during a Q&A in London.

“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.

“It saddens me that we are having to face this setback right now. But I’m happy that you’re all here and that you’re all still showing up for Emilia because the message that this film has is so powerful and the change that it can bring forward to communities that are marginalised day in and day out is important.

“And all that I can attest is that all of us that came together to tell this story, we came together for love and for respect and curiosity, and we will continue to spread that message. That’s all we can say right now. Thank you.”

What has Karla Sofia Gascón said about starring in Emilia Perez?

Emilia Pérez has drawn a mixed response with regard to its handling of trans representation, with GLAAD accusing the film of falling prey to trans stereotypes and tropes and slamming it as “retrograde portrayal of a trans woman” in a lengthy op-ed.

Speaking to RadioTimes.com at the time of the film's release last year, Gascón opened up about how she helped shape the film's transgender storyline and praised writer/director Jacques Audiard for his work in developing the arc of her character in the film.

"My first worry about this role is the motives [to transition from] Manitas to Emilia," she explained. "Because this changes completely the meaning of the movie, and this was my first [question to] Jacques... why Manitas wants to be Emilia?"

She continued: "Because if it's only for escape from this world [of being a drug cartel boss] then it's completely different than if this role or this character does this... because she *needs* to be a woman. And I think that he chose the best way for this film."

Gascón added that she and Audiard "did a huge amount of work together" on developing the character "in every single aspect".

"Because my life experience was the most similar to Emilia, but only physically – in terms of the physical change," she added.

"Of course, Emilia's change is much more radical and much more cinematic than in real life. But yeah, we had huge numbers of conversations, and I'm so grateful to Jacques for letting me contribute to the creative process of the character, because I'm perhaps one of the few people that could tweak the Spanish or help build certain phrases and sentences.

"And I'm so happy and grateful that he let me be involved in the creative process, not only of the film, but of the character itself, because I was one of the first – or the first – actress that got involved in the film.”

Is Karla Sofia Gascón on Instagram?

Yes, Gascón can be found at the handle @karsiagascon.

Is Karla Sofia Gascón on X?

Gascón’s X/Twitter account appears to have been deactivated. Her account went dark on Friday 31st January, according to Deadline, after she issued an apology over her resurfaced posts.

Emilia Pérez is now streaming on Netflix – sign up from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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