Zoe Saldaña has spoken out for the first time since racist tweets by her “Emilia Pérez” co-star Karla Sofía Gascón resurfaced this week.
“I’m still processing everything that has transpired in the last couple of days, and I’m sad. 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,” Saldaña said during a Q&A in London.
She continued, “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.”
She went on to thank the audience and those who have continued to support the film in the wake of the controversy, concluding, “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 marginalized 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.”
Tweets by Gascón expressing controversial views on Muslims, George Floyd and diversity at the Oscars resurfaced this week. In the tweets, Gascón critiqued the diversity of the 2021 Oscars ceremony, called George Floyd a “drug addict swindler” after he was killed by a police officer in 2020 and inspired protests around the U.S., and took aim at Islam, claiming the faith “fails to comply with international rights.”
She released a statement of apology to Variety on Thursday evening, writing, “I want to acknowledge the conversation around my past social media posts that have caused hurt. As someone in a marginalized 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 has since deactivated her X account.
Just last week, Gascón became the first openly trans actor to be nominated for an Oscar. She previously became the first transgender woman to win the best actress award at the Cannes Film Festival (an honor which she shared with her co-stars Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez and Adriana Paz) and was the first trans woman nominated for film acting at the Golden Globes. She is represented by UTA.