Yahoo Lifestyle ‘Emilia Pérez’ Star Karla Sofía Gascón Says ‘I Am Not a Racist’ Amid Backlash Over Offensive Tweets: ‘I Have Been Judged and Condemned Without Trial’
“Emilia Pérez” star Karla Sofía Gascón took to Instagram early Saturday morning to write a lengthy response after a series of controversial social media posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, resurfaced on Thursday.
Accompanied by an image of a Nichiren Buddhist symbol and the words, “As with ‘Emilia Pérez’: We can all do better. Me too,” Gascón wrote, “THEY ALREADY WON. The first thing I’d like to do is ask for the most sincere forgiveness from those who feel bad about the way I’ve expressed myself at any stage of my life. I have many things to learn in this world, the forms [in which I learn] are my biggest defect. Life has taught me something I never wanted to learn: it’s clear to me that no matter how much my message is my message, without using the proper words, [the message] can convert into another.”
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She continued, “I have gone from living a normal life to a life at the top of my profession in just six months, now my responsibility is very great because my voice not only belongs to me but to many people who feel represented and hopeful by or with me.”
Gascón wrote that in recent years, she has relied heavily on “Nichiren Buddhism” as a guiding principle in her life, and believes it has changed her and “those who surround me for the better.” She admitted that she’s “not the same person” she was a decade ago due to the religious shift, adding, “Although I have not committed any crimes I was not perfect either, I am not even perfect now. I just try to learn and be a better person every day.”
After starting with a more apologetic tone, Gascón repeated the opening statement of her response, writing, “They have already won, they have achieved their objective, to stain my existence with lies or things taken out of context. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a racist (you will be surprised when you find out that one of the most important people in my current life and that I love the most is Muslim) nor any of the things for which I have been judged and condemned without trial and without option to explain true intention; I have always fought for a more just society and for a world of freedom, peace and love. I will never support wars, religious extremism or the oppression of races and peoples.”
“They have created posts as if it were me insulting even my colleagues,” she added. “Things that I wrote to glorify as if they were criticisms, jokes as if they were reality, words that without the background only seem like hate. Everything as long as I don’t win anything and I sink.”
Gascón closed with a quote from her mother, who told her, “I care very little whether you win anything, I just care about you being okay and that no one will harm you.” Gascón then shared her response: “‘Mother, this life has put me here to send a message of hope and love to this world, I will do it.’”
Once the favorite to win best actress in a leading role at this year’s Academy Awards, Gascón came under fire Thursday after journalist Sarah Hagi discovered the posts which have now largely been deleted. In them, Gascón shared contentious views on Gergoge Floyd, Muslims and diversity at the Oscars.
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