Karla Sofía Gascón made history as the first openly transgender actor to be nominated for an Oscar, then shortly found herself in the middle of a backlash.
In the best picture contender “Emilia Pérez,” Gascón, 52, plays Juan “Manitas” Del Monte, a cartel kingpin who dreams of living openly as a woman. She portrays the vicious gang leader transitioning into her authentic self — Emilia Pérez.
Her Oscar chances gained momentum when “Emilia Pérez” won multiple Golden Globes on Jan. 5. Gascón accepted an award on behalf of the cast and crew and gave an emotional speech about overcoming prejudice.
“Light always wins over darkness,” she said in her tearful address. “You can maybe put us in jail, you can beat us up, but you never can take away our soul, our existence, and our identity.”
However, a few weeks later journalist Sarah Hagi accused Gascón of hypocrisy after sharing screenshots on Jan. 30 of what appear to be past posts on X from the actor. The posts were written in Spanish with Google translations appearing below.
Gascón’s alleged past social media posts, mainly from 2020, contain racist and Islamophobic comments. Other posts surfaced of Gascón allegedly making negative comments about George Floyd and the racial identity of past Oscar winners.
TODAY.com has not independently verified the now-deleted X posts in question.
In the wake of the alleged posts, Gascón deactivated her X account and explained why in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
“I’m sorry, but I can no longer allow this campaign of hate and misinformation to affect me and my family, so at their request I am closing my account on X,” she said. “I have been threatened with death, insulted, abused and harassed to the point of exhaustion. I have a wonderful daughter to protect, whom I love madly and who supports me in everything.”
Gascón issued an apology on Jan. 30 after her past social media posts about Muslims, George Floyd and the Oscars resurfaced.
“I want to acknowledge the conversation around my past social media posts that have caused hurt,” Gascón said in a statement issued through Netflix.
“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,” she added.
She also spoke about the controversy in an interview with CNN Español interview on Feb. 2.
“I believe I have been judged, I have been convicted and sacrificed and crucified and stoned without a trial and without the option to defend myself,” she said in Spanish.
Gascón said at the time of the posts, she was using social media more like a diary than as a platform “that can influence someone, because before being here my post was viewed by three people.”
Has Gascón attended past award shows?
Gascón attended the Golden Globes, but following the controversy’s eruption, Gascón did not appear at a pair of major awards shows.
She was not at the British Academy Film Awards on Feb. 16, where she was a best-actress nominee. Her “Emilia Pérez” costar Zoe Saldaña won the award for best film not in the English language.
Gascón also was not in attendance at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Feb. 23, where Saldaña won the award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role.
Two days before the Oscars, she made her first awards show appearance since the controversy began by attending the Cesar Awards, France’s version of the Academy Awards, on Feb. 28, according to Variety.
She did not do any press and proceeded directly into the venue, according to Variety.
Is Karla Sofía Gascón going to the Oscars?
TODAY.com has reached out to Gascón for comment.
Bill Kramer, the CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which hands out the Oscars, told The Hollywood Reporter that if Gascón attends the ceremony he hopes “there is an air of respect.”
“We have over 200 nominees,” he said. “The night is about much more than one person. We are there to celebrate all of our nominees.”
