Zoe Saldaรฑa weighed in on the “Emilia Perez” controversy on Hollywood’s biggest night.
Shortly after accepting the best supporting actress Oscar for her work in the film, Saldaรฑa was whisked away to the Oscars press room to field a few questions.
Backstage, Mexican journalist Cristina Ibaรฑez asked Saldaรฑa to address criticism of “Emilia Pรฉrez” from Mexican audiences.
Much has been said about the movie, Ibaรฑez said, but “less has been said about Mexico, which is the heart of it.”
“So what would you say about the heart of this movie, but also about the topic, which (has been) really hurtful for us Mexicans?” Ibaรฑez asked the actor.
Saldaรฑa started by apologizing for any pain the film has caused viewers.
โFirst of all, Iโm very, very sorry that you and so many Mexicans felt offended. That was never our intention. We spoke and we came from a place of love and I will stand by that,โ she said.
The actor went on to share her own views on the matter โ which is that the movie, while set in Mexico, was not about Mexico.
โI donโt share your opinion. For me, the heart of this movie was not Mexico. We werenโt making a film about a country. We were making a film about four women. And these women could have been Russian, could have been Dominican, could have been Black from Detroit, could have been from Israel, could have been from Gaza,” she noted. “And these women are still very universal women that are struggling every day, trying to survive systemic oppression and trying to find their most authentic voices. So I will stand by that.”
Saldaรฑa ended her statement by welcoming further discussion on the topic.
“But Iโm also always open to sit down with all of my Mexican brothers and sisters, with love and respect, (to have) a great conversation on how โEmiliaโ could have been done better. I have no problem. I welcome it,โ she said.
Since its release in November 2024, “Emilia Perez” has won several awards at awards shows like the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards, SAG Awards and BAFTAs.
The movie also ignited controversy on multiple fronts, including on matters of Mexican representation.
โEmilia Perezโ is set in Mexico, but most of the lead actors arenโt from Mexico. Karla Sofรญa Gascรณn, who plays Emilia, is from Spain; Saldaรฑa is from the U.S. and has Dominican and Puerto Rican ancestry; and Selena Gomez is from the U.S. with Mexican and Italian heritage.
Only supporting cast member Adriana Paz, who plays Emiliaโs lover, Epifanรญa, is from Mexico. Paz, calling director Audiard a “genius,” defended the movie in an interview withย IndieWire.
โIโve heard people saying itโs offensive to Mexico. I really want to know why, because I didnโt feel that way. And I have questioned some people that I trust, not just as artists but as people, and they donโt feel that way, so I am trying to understand,โ Paz said.
Director Audiard told a reporter he “didn’t study much” about Mexico to make the film, per a translation done by NBC News.
According to theย Hollywood Reporter, the majority of filming took place on a sound stage in Paris, with five days of exterior shots in Mexico.
The movie also started debate about the depiction of its main character. Gascรณn plays a cartel leader who undergoes gender reassignment surgery to live freely as Emilia Pรฉrez, her true identity.
Some viewers argued that โEmilia Perezโ misrepresents trans people. LGBTQ+ advocacy group GLAAD described the film as a โstep backward for trans representation,โ adding that it โrecycles the trans stereotypes, tropes, and clichรฉs of the not-so-distant past.โ
Gascรณn defended her โEmilia Pรฉrezโ character against accusations that the depiction was transphobic.
โThere are some that say, โI want to see LGBTQ or trans characters outdoing what people do in real life,โ but we do bad things too … I donโt understand the criticism about the representation of portraying Emilia Pรฉrez this way,โ she toldย Vanity Fairย in January. โThe reality is that the trans experience is not the same for everybody โ my trans experience is different from somebody elseโs.โ
โIf you donโt like it, go and make your own movie,โ Gascรณn also said. โGo create the representation you want to see for your community.โ
Then, weeks before the Oscars, Gascรณn herself was the target of backlash when tweets she posted in 2020 resurfaced containing racist and Islamophobic sentiments. Gascรณn later issued an apology.
In January 2025, Saldaรฑa responded to her cast mate’s controversy.
โIโm still processing everything that has transpired in the last couple of days. It makes me really sad because I donโt support and I donโt have any tolerance for any negative rhetoric towards people of any group,” she said during a Q&A session for the film, per The Hollywood Reporter.
