Zoe Saldaña Responds to Karla Sofía Gascón’s Controversial Tweets

The reverberations of actor Karla Sofía Gascón’s past derogatory tweets, which exhibit both racist and Islamophobic sentiments, continue to unfold. On Friday evening, during a Q&A session in London, her co-star Zoe Saldaña addressed the turmoil for the first time, albeit indirectly, opting not to explicitly reference Gascón or the contentious remarks.

“I am still in the process of reflecting on the events of the past few days, and I am profoundly saddened,” Saldaña stated during the panel, responding to inquiries regarding Gascón’s incendiary posts. The Oscar-nominated actress was seated alongside Emilia Pérez director Jacques Audiard while journalist Edith Bowman facilitated the discussion.

Although Saldaña refrained from explicitly mentioning Gascón or the controversial comments, both actors are presently in London, seeking to advance their film’s accolades despite the surrounding controversy.

Saldaña elaborated, “It greatly distresses me because I categorically reject and have no tolerance for negative rhetoric aimed at any demographic. My interactions with every individual involved in this project revolved around themes of inclusivity, collaboration, and the pursuit of racial, cultural, and gender equity. Thus, it is disheartening.”

As an Oscar nominee for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Emilia Pérez, Saldaña also expressed regret over the film facing this “setback,” while gratitude flowed towards the audience for their steadfast support.

“The message conveyed through this film possesses formidable power, capable of fostering change in marginalized communities daily,” she asserted.

Following the incident, Gascón deleted her X account and issued an additional apology earlier that day, articulating her profound regret for her past remarks that espoused extreme and racist views regarding Muslims, Oscar diversity, the LGBTQ+ community, and the death of George Floyd, as she endeavors to fortify her Oscar campaign.

In her 2021 post, she lamented, “The #Oscars increasingly resemble a ceremony for independent protest films; I was unsure if I was witnessing an Afro-Korean festival, a Black Lives Matter demonstration, or an event for the 8M. In any case, it was an ugly gala.”

Furthermore, she made dismissive remarks regarding Floyd, asserting, “I believe very few truly cared about George Floyd, a drug addict and swindler… His death merely exemplifies that there are those who continue to dehumanize black individuals.”

Among her inflammatory tweets, Gascón also condemned the Moroccan Spanish community, calling for their expulsion en masse, articulating, “History has repeatedly expelled the Moors from Spain… This is not racism; it is a critique of Islam.”

Through a statement issued via Netflix, Gascón acknowledged the discourse surrounding her past social media posts that have caused harm, expressing, “As a member of a marginalized community, I intimately understand this suffering… I am sincerely apologetic to those I have hurt. Throughout my life, I have fought for a better world, steadfast in the belief that light ultimately triumphs over darkness.”

Below is the full transcript of Saldaña’s statement:

“I am still in the process of reflecting on the events of the past few days, and I am profoundly saddened. It greatly distresses me because I categorically reject and have no tolerance for negative rhetoric aimed at any demographic. My interactions with every individual involved in this project revolved around themes of inclusivity, collaboration, and the pursuit of racial, cultural, and gender equity. Thus, it is disheartening that we are grappling with this setback at this moment. Nevertheless, I am grateful that you are all present, continuing to support Emilia Pérez. The message contained within this film is immensely powerful, possessing the capacity to catalyze significant change for marginalized communities. I affirm that our collaboration stemmed from love, respect, and curiosity, and we shall persist in spreading this message. That is all we can convey at present. Thank you.”