Emilia Pérez actress Karla Sofía Gascón appeared at the Oscars on Sunday night — a surprise for many following backlash to the actress' tweets in recent weeks.
In late January, offensive social media posts from the best actress Oscar nominee recirculated online. The posts vilified Muslims, attacked China in the context of COVID-19 and commented on the 2020 murder of George Floyd, calling him a "drug addicted swindler."
Though she apologized for the tweets, Gascón fiercely defended herself, reiterating, "I am not a racist."
Netflix did not respond to NPR's request for comment in February about whether or not the actress was still involved in the streamer's Oscar campaign.
Emilia Pérez is a musical about a trans cartel boss in Mexico. It led this year's Academy Award nominations with 13 nods, including Gascón's — a historic first acting nomination for an openly trans actress.
The film itself has also been subject to scrutiny for its portrayal of Mexican culture and the trans experience. LGBTQ advocacy organization GLAAD has said that the film, despite its lead actress being transgender, is "not good trans representation."
Still, Gascón and the film were both celebrated when Emilia Pérez first premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. Gascón received an Arcoíris award from the Spanish government, which recognizes people for "raising awareness, supporting and defending the rights of LGBTI people."
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