Karla Sofia Gascón Didn’t Violate Oscar Rules by Accusing ‘People Working With Fernanda Torres’ of ‘Tearing Me and “Emilia Pérez” Down’
Karla Sofía Gascón, star of the Oscar-nominated film “Emilia Pérez,” has accused the social media team of fellow best actress nominee Fernanda Torres of attempting to undermine her work.
In a Jan. 21 video interview with Folha de S. Paulo, a Brazilian daily newspaper, published Tuesday, Gascón praised Torres, the star of the Brazilian drama “I’m Still Here.” Torres is also competing for best actress at the upcoming Academy Awards, while “I’m Still Here” also landed nods in the best picture and best international feature categories.
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In the edited clip, Gascón, speaking in Spanish, criticizes online campaigns, stating, “What I don’t like are social media teams — people who work with these people — trying to diminish our work, like me and my movie, because that doesn’t lead anywhere. You don’t need to tear down someone’s work to highlight another’s. I have never, at any point, said anything bad about Fernanda Torres or her movie. However, there are people working with Fernanda Torres tearing me and ‘Emilia Pérez’ down. That speaks more about their movie than mine.”
In a later statement given to Variety, Gascón clarified that her comments did not extend to those “directly associated” with Torres, but instead was intended toward “toxicity and violent hate speech on social media.”
“I am an enormous fan of Fernanda Torres and it has been wonderful getting to know her the past few months,” Gascón said in her statement. “In my recent comments, I was referencing the toxicity and violent hate speech on social media that I sadly continue to experience. Fernanda has been a wonderful ally, and no one directly associated with her has been anything but supportive and hugely generous.”
The interview with Folha de S. Paulo also includes Gascón emphasizing the humanity of LGBTQ individuals. “I must tell you: There are wonderful LGBT people, but also certainly some that are not,” she says. “We’re just like everyone else — human beings with the same rights and the same duties we all should have.”
She goes on to call Torres a “wonderful woman and an amazing actress who deserves all the recognition in the world.” However, she admits she has not yet seen “I’m Still Here.” After expressing her genuine happiness for Torres’ Golden Globe win, she adds, “This isn’t a competition. This is simply about people liking one’s work or not. If [Torres] wins [the Oscar], great. If I win, same.”
Gascón is the first openly transgender actor nominated for an Academy Award. The Spanish star, recognized for her performance in the titular role of Jacques Audiard’s musical crime film, is also nominated at the upcoming Critics Choice, BAFTA and SAG Awards.
Torres recently became the first Brazilian actress to win a Golden Globe for best actress (drama), more than two decades after her mother, Fernanda Montenegro, became the first-ever Brazilian nominee for “Central Station” (1998), who went on to be nominated the Oscars.
Following the interview, X users shared copies of the Academy’s updated regulations on social media, which were revised after the Andrea Riseborough nomination controversy two years ago. However, Gascón’s comments do not violate any guidelines. She does not make disparaging remarks about Torres’ performance, which would have broken Academy rules. Quite the opposite, Gascón praises her fellow nominee as an actress.
While Gascón’s comments can be interpreted in various ways, it was only five days ago Torres released a video on Instagram, speaking Portuguese, praising Gascón after meeting her at a W magazine party, and defending her from hate attacks on social media.
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