Netflix 'deletes' trans actress Karla Sofía Gascón ('Emilia Pérez') after controversy in social media
The new phase of the film's Oscar promotion aims to downplay the presence of the Best Actress nominee.
Karla Sofía Gascón and director Jacques Audiard.
Karla Sofia Gascon had one event a day scheduled, Thursday through Sunday, to promote Emilia Perez 's Oscar Awards aspirations. Today, that agenda sits empty.
So says the specialized press, which in recent hours revealed that Netflix, producer of the film, would be dispensing with its protagonist to revive the dream of lifting for the first time the statuette for best film.
The streaming company's decision follows the controversy sparked by some former tweets by the trans star in which she criticized the advance of Islamism in Europe, Black Lives Matter (BLM) and diversity at the Oscars, among others.
According to Variety, Netflix stopped covering her travel and styling expenses for the galas. If she wants to fly to Los Angeles from her native Spain, she must pay for it out of pocket. Her face and name have reportedly disappeared from the new campaign materials, videos, emails and posters. The materials will shift focus to actresses like Selena Gomez and Zoe Saldana, while downplaying appearances by the best actress nominee.
Winner of four awards at the Golden Globes, including best musical or comedy and best non-English-language film, Emilia Perez competed in 13 Oscar categories. After the controversy and Netflix's promotional strategy twist, experts say that the Best Actress nomination could well be subtracted from that list. That will be confirmed on March 3, the date of the gala.
"They want to apply the 'cancel culture' on me"
After a barrage of criticism, Gascón closed her X account. Although she has maintained her Instagram, she suffered a sharp decliine in followers (including the Oscar Academy's own account, according to Infobae). To the latter she returned on Wednesday night posting: "In these last few days, I've been going through a roller coaster of emotions."
"They want to apply the cancel culture[cancellation culture] to me," she assured, before asking, "Do I ask the Hollywood experts, the journalists who know me and who have followed my trajectory, how to move forward?"
On this last point, The Hollywood Reporter claims that Gascón came out to defend herself against the accusations on networks and in interviews without first coordinating with Netflix, owner of the distribution rights in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
They have even cut off all contact with agent Jeremy Barber as the only contact between the two. So much so that, according to Spanish newspaper El Confidencial, Netflix did not even communicate to him that they will not require his presence during promotions: "They have not said anything to him about it."
