Netflix Distances Itself From Karla Sofía Gascón as Controversy Forces ‘Emilia Pérez’ Oscar Campaign Changes
Netflix is distancing itself from "Emilia Pérez" star Karla Sofía Gascón in an effort to salvage the film's Oscar prospects.
Netflix is distancing itself from “Emilia Pérez” star Karla Sofía Gascón in an effort to salvage the film’s Oscar prospects. And as the Spanish actress tries to defuse the blowback for her past social media posts, in which she shared offensive views that were seen as Islamophobic and racist, she’s doing it on her own, without the guidance of the streaming giant or her PR team.
Gascón, who made history as the first openly transgender performer to be nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards, was expected to travel from her home in Spain to Los Angeles for the critical second phase of the Oscars campaign. Her planned itinerary included major entertainment industry events such as the AFI Awards luncheon on Thursday, the Critics Choice Awards on Friday, the Directors Guild of America Awards and the Producers Guild of America Awards on Saturday, and the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Sunday. However, Gascón is no longer expected to attend any of them.
Her absence has further complicated the campaign efforts for Netflix and the film’s awards team. Adding to the tension, Gascón and her co-star Zoe Saldaña share the same public relations firm, The Lede Company. Sources tell Variety that Netflix and the PR agency have stopped talking directly with Gascón and are only communicating through her United Talent Agency representative, Jeremy Barber. Sources also said the streamer is no longer covering expenses for her travel to the various awards shows or her styling for any appearances at these events.
Popular on VarietyIf she intends to make these stops, it would fall to Gascón to pay for everything from her airfare to her accommodations. The actress was a relative unknown when she got the life-changing title role in “Emilia Pérez,” which meant that she was paid roughly 100,000 Euros ($104,000) for her role in the film, according to a source with knowledge of her deal. Gascón did not respond to requests for comment.
A new For Your Consideration advertisement that debuted Monday highlights “Emilia Pérez’s” 13 Oscar nominations, including its nods for best picture, international feature, director (Jacques Audiard), supporting actress (Saldaña), and original song (“El Mal”). However, the film’s title as well as any images of Gascón have been scrubbed from much of the campaign material. Instead, the marketing prominently features Saldaña and co-stars Selena Gomez and Adriana Paz, neither of whom were nominated. 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. The film’s official FYC page features a prominent photo of Saldaña but no images of Gascón.
The Oscar race has now entered its post-nominations phase. It’s a period that often sees marketing become more targeted on the categories that campaigns think have the best chance of leading to actual wins. Saldaña and the film were seen as stronger candidates for top prizes than Gascón, who was expected to lose best actress to Demi Moore (“The Substance”) even before the scandal erupted. However, omitting the film’s lead actress and the title of the film from promotional materials has raised eyebrows.
“It’s hard to imagine a campaign focus that excludes the titular character while still aiming to bring home the gold,” one awards consultant tells Variety.
Gascón, who issued an apology hours after news of her posts broke and then did an interview with CNN en Español over the weekend that she booked without Netflix’s involvement, addressed the situation (once again) in an Instagram post. In it, she tagged multiple publications, including Variety, saying in part: “They want to subject me to ‘cancel culture,’” she wrote. “I ask the Hollywood experts, the journalists who know me and have followed my career — How can I move forward?”
But some Oscar voters, who asked to remain anonymous, said that despite Gascón’s apologies and pleas, they are moving on from her and the film that put her on their radar.
“Damn, I almost felt sorry for her at first, but now I’m like, ‘F*ck that,’” one Academy member said.
Another veteran Oscar voter dismissed the impact of the controversy, saying, “I don’t think it affects anything. I judge the film on its merits. I can’t judge what others do outside of it.”
However, a third voter predicted there would be repercussions for the film and expressed sympathy for Saldaña. “I think it’s going to have a huge effect. It left a bad taste in people’s mouths,” the voter said. “People are allowed to have their opinions, but I don’t want to live in a world where a racist and bigot is highlighted and rewarded. I was going to vote for her because I really did think she was extraordinary, but how could I now? I hope it doesn’t affect Zoe. It really shouldn’t. I don’t think people are that stupid.”
How will the Oscars deal with Gascón if she attends the ceremony?
Certain changes have been made to the broadcast that could make things less awkward. The Oscars recently announced the return of the “Fab 5” moments, a segment where previous winners recognize nominees in their respective categories. The tradition, introduced in recent years, resonated with audiences celebrating artistry across generations, which has brought memorable moments such as past Oscar winner Rita Moreno (“West Side Story”) paying tribute to supporting actress nominee America Ferrera (“Barbie”), or Kevin Kline (“A Fish Called Wanda”) memorializing Heath Ledger (“The Dark Knight”) when he earned a posthumous supporting actor statue.
Sources tell Variety the “Fab 5” moments were not going to be executed in the acting categories this year, and the decision came before the official nominations were announced. It could still happen in the director’s category and for some of the artisans awards. One issue that the Oscars were grappling with was that the broadcast would have run out of past winners if it became an annual tradition, forcing it to recycle the same presenters. Major A-listers are still expected to be part of the format, but the Oscars won’t have the tough task of finding a previous victor willing to laud Gascón’s performance from the stage, were she to win.
The Netflix team has not yet begun discussions about bringing Gascón to L.A. for the telecast. As a nominee, she is invited to the ceremony, but there are concerns that her presence might overshadow the other nominees across all 23 categories or that Gascón could give unpredictable interviews on the red carpet that would distract from the celebratory nature of the event.
So is it over for “Emilia Pérez”? Many Oscar campaigns have nearly been derailed over the years only to overcome the controversy. Take Universal Pictures’ “Green Book.” In the run up to the 2019 Oscars, director Peter Farrelly had to apologize after newspaper articles from the ’90s suggested he revealed his genitals to actors, while co-writer Nick Vallelonga was criticized after a past tweet endorsing a false Donald Trump accusation about New Jersey Muslims cheering on 9/11 was resurfaced, and lead actor Viggo Mortensen used the N-word at a screening of the film. And yet “Green Book” still won best picture, original screenplay and supporting actor.
Whether “Emilia Pérez” can withstand the fallout from Gascón’s social media messages remains to be seen. But with only a few weeks to go before Oscar voting ends, the film’s fate — and Gascón’s awards prospects — hang in the balance.
Elsa Keslassy and Marc Malkin contributed to this report.
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