“Emilia Pérez” director Jacques Audiard is addressing Karla Sofía Gascón’s shocking controversy — and he’s not happy.
The French writer-director, 72, expressed his disappointment in his Oscar-nominated actress after several of her social media posts resurfaced, in which Gascón criticized Muslim culture, George Floyd and even called her “Emilia Pérez” co-star Selena Gomez a “rich rat” before being cast with her.
According to Audiard, her actions are “inexcusable.”
“It’s very hard for me to think back to the work I did with Karla Sofía,” Audiard told Deadline on Wednesday of making the flick nominated for Best Picture at this year’s Academy Awards.
The musical thriller follows a Mexican cartel leader (Gascón) who transitions into a woman. It features a star-studded cast, which also includes Zoe Saldaña (nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role), Édgar Ramírez, Gomez and more.
Gascón’s nomination made her the first openly transgender performer to be nominated for an Oscar.
Audiard explained that the “exceptional atmosphere” they had on set “was indeed based on trust.”
He continued, “And when you have that kind of relationship and suddenly you read something that that person has said, things that are absolutely hateful and worthy of being hated, of course that relationship is affected. It’s as if you fall into a hole.”
The director revealed, “I haven’t spoken to her, and I don’t want to.”
Audiard shared that “she is in a self-destructive approach,” and he “can’t interfere.”
“I really don’t understand why she’s continuing. Why is she harming herself? … She’s talking about herself as a victim, which is surprising. It’s as if she thought that words don’t hurt,” he said.
Audiard also added that Gascón is “harming people who were very close to her,” including the “Emilia Pérez” cast and crew. “I’m not getting in touch with her because right now she needs space to reflect and take accountability for her actions.”
Gascón, 52, issued an apology and deactivated her X (formerly Twitter) account after catching backlash over her past tweets.
Sharing she had “nothing to hide,” the Spanish actress asked how she should “move forward” from the controversy this award season.
Gascón and the movie are up for several awards, including the Critics Choice (February 7), BAFTA (February 16) and Oscars (March 2).
The actress doubled down during an emotional interview with CNN on February 2, denying the claims of racism and standing ten toes down on her Academy Award nomination.
“I cannot step down from an Oscar nomination because I have not committed any crime, nor have I harmed anyone,” she said, per CNN. “I am neither racist nor anything that all these people have tried to make others believe I am.”
Addressing how Gascón’s controversy is upstaging the movie’s success, Audiard shared that it’s “very unfortunately, it is taking up all the space,” adding it “makes me very sad.”
