Actress Karla Sofia Gascon to Attend Oscars Despite Controversy

According to several American media outlets, actress Karla Sofia Gascon, star of Emilia Pérez , will attend the Oscars ceremony on Sunday March 2, despite the controversy over her past racist tweets which have largely harmed the success of Jacques Audiard's film.

The 52-year-old Spaniard, the first transgender actress nominated for a best actress Oscar, initially appeared to be a favorite for the category. But she saw her campaign collapse because of old Islamophobic and racist messages that resurfaced in January.

Her apology didn't convince Hollywood, and Netflix dropped her in an attempt to limit the damage to Emilia Pérez , who has 13 Oscar nominations. But after forcing herself to remain silent, the actress will finally attend the ceremony, according to the Hollywood trade press. Netflix will cover her travel expenses, as is customary for studios that have nominees, according to Variety and Deadline .

"I'm not sure how I feel, but I'm grateful to be back," the actress told The Hollywood Reporter on Monday, February 24. "I'm grateful to everyone who believed in me, to Netflix, to the production company and to my colleagues. We can close this beautiful and difficult journey that began three years ago," she added.

The details of her appearance are still unclear, however: it is not known whether the actress will walk the red carpet at the Oscars, whether she will give interviews or whether she will be seated next to the rest of the film's cast. According to Variety , the actress is also expected to attend the César Awards ceremony in Paris on Friday.

A musical odyssey about a drug trafficker's gender transition, Emilia Pérez initially generated enthusiasm. At the Cannes Film Festival, it won the jury prize and a best acting award for its four leading actresses. Then in January, it scooped four trophies at the Golden Globes, including best comedy and best international film. But Karla Sofia Gascon's tweets turned her Oscar campaign into a path of suffering. Shot in Spanish, the film also divided opinion in Mexico, its country of inspiration.

Its detractors have criticized it for its overly superficial treatment of disappearances linked to drug trafficking, and have been outraged by the fact that it was filmed in France, with a cast that included Selena Gomez, an American star criticized for the quality of her Spanish, and only one Mexican actress, Adriana Paz. Out of 13 nominations – a record for a non-English-language production – only one statuette seems definitively promised to it on Sunday: that of best supporting actress for Zoe Saldaña.