Actress Carla Sofia Gascon, who starred in the film 'Emilia Perez,' shared her thoughts after attending the Academy Awards.
On February 4, Gascon posted on her social media, "I want to thank the Academy members for nominating me for Best Actress and for the invitation to the ceremony."
She continued, "It was truly a delightful time and an interesting experience. Jimmy Kimmel, who hosted the event, was fantastic. He seems to be becoming the great Conan O'Brien more and more," adding a touch of humor. She also expressed her joy at being able to hug many friends and colleagues after a long time.
This was Gascon's first social media post since February 7, about a month ago. After being nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards for 'Emilia Perez,' Gascon faced backlash due to past social media posts that included Islamophobic and racist remarks, which significantly impacted the film.
Indeed, 'Emilia Perez' was nominated in a remarkable 13 categories at this year's Academy Awards, making it a strong contender for multiple wins. However, Gascon's controversy had a substantial effect, causing Academy voters to hesitate in their choices.
Netflix, the North American distributor that supported the Academy campaign for 'Emilia Perez,' showed signs of distancing Gascon from the Oscar race following the controversy. In fact, she did not attend the SAG (Screen Actors Guild) Awards, which is considered one of the most important ceremonies leading up to the Academy Awards.
Although her attendance at the Academy Awards was uncertain, Gascon made an appearance at the ceremony held on February 2. During the event, host Conan O'Brien joked, "Carla, if you're going to tweet about the Oscars, remember my name is Jimmy Kimmel." Kimmel is one of America's leading comedians and has previously hosted the Academy Awards.
Gascon gave enthusiastic applause to Zoe Saldana, who won Best Supporting Actress, and to Clement Duval and Camille, who won Best Original Song for 'El Mal.'
Originally from Spain, Gascon portrayed the character of Matinas, a Mexican gang boss who undergoes gender reassignment surgery to become a woman (Emilia Perez). For this role, she won the Best Actress award (shared among four) at last year's Cannes Film Festival and became the first transgender actress nominated for Best Actress at the American Academy Awards.
This year, 'Emilia Perez,' the film with the most nominations at the Academy Awards, is set to be released in theaters on the 12th.
ebada@sbs.co.kr
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)