Karla Sofía Gascón, the trans-identifying male actor nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, will attend the ceremony on Sunday despite the massive controversy around old tweets.
Per a report from Deadline, Netflix will be covering expenses for the “Emilia Pérez” star to attend. This confirmation comes after the streaming giant removed Gascón from the musical drama’s promotional campaign and scheduled appearances during awards season.
The actor came under fire for tweets from several years ago on a range of topics, including George Floyd, Muslims, and diversity at the Oscars.
Following public outcry, Gascón issued an apology, saying, “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 also stepped back from awards show appearances after the tweets went viral, skipping the Critics Choice Awards, BAFTA Film Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards despite being nominated at all three.
In June 2020, Gascón’s post (written in Spanish, translated by the outlet) about Floyd’s death read, “Let me get this straight, a guy tries to pass off a counterfeit bill after consuming methamphetamine, an idiot policeman arrives and goes too far in arresting him, killing him, ruining the lives of his family and his colleagues, and turning the guy with the bill into a martyr hero.”
“I really think that very few people ever cared about George Floyd, a drug addict swindler, but his death has served to once again demonstrate that there are people who still consider black people to be monkeys without rights and consider policemen to be assassins,” another tweet said. “They’re all wrong.”
A November 2020 tweet discussed Muslims in Europe. “Sorry, is it just my impression or are there more and more Muslims in Spain? Every time I go to pick up my daughter from school there are more women with their hair covered and their skirts down to their heels. Maybe next year instead of English we’ll have to teach Arabic. Until we ban religions that go against European values and violate human rights, such as Islam, under the protection of freedom of worship, we will not end part of the huge problem we face.”
Gascón slammed all religions in a 2021 post, writing, “I am so sick of so much of this s***, of Islam, of Christianity, of Catholicism and of all the f***ing beliefs of morons that violate human rights,” Variety noted.
The “Emilia Perez” star took aim at the 2021 Oscars telecast in another post. “More and more the #Oscars are looking like a ceremony for independent and protest films. I didn’t know if I was watching an Afro-Korean festival, a Black Lives Matter demonstration or the 8M. Apart from that, an ugly, ugly gala,” he wrote.
Before the tweets resurfaced, the industry was fawning over Gascón for being the first transgender-identifying man nominated for Best Actress. Afterward, many turned on him, with the movie’s director Jacques Audiard saying the tweets were “inexcusable.”
The director later seemed to soften his statements, thanking “My dear Karla Sofia, that I kiss” after nabbing the Best Director award at the BAFTAs.
The film was flying high with 13 Oscar nominations — the most of any other project — before the controversy broke out. One Netflix exec said it’s a “bummer” that the tweet drama has changed the conversation, while Gascón’s co-star Selena Gomez admitted, “Some of the magic has disappeared.”
Details on the actor’s Oscars appearance, including seating arrangements and whether the star will take part in any red-carpet interviews, are not available yet.