ANNALS OF LEFTIST AUTOPHAGY: How Emilia Pérez Is Being Removed from the Emilia Pérez Oscar Campaign.
Saturday, Feb. 8, presented a dilemma for a lot of talent: the Directors Guild Awards and the Producers Guild Awards are happening opposite each other, and Emilia Pérez is nominated for the top awards of both. [Trans actress Karla Sofía Gascón] was to be deployed to the PGA Awards, at Century City’s Fairmont Century Plaza hotel, where she was to serve as a presenter.
And then on Sunday, Feb. 9, she was to have made the drive up to Santa Barbara to be feted as one of this year’s nine Virtuoso Award recipients at an Arlington Theatre ceremony at which the honorees would be interviewed individually and then collectively. The others set to be feted include her costar Gomez and fellow best actress nominees Fernanda Torres (I’m Still Here).
However, given the massive controversy that has engulfed Gascón in recent days regarding commentary that she posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) — posts about which Gascón has, in recent days, been regularly writing on social media and discussing in interviews, without consultation or coordination with Netflix, which owns Emilia Pérez’s distribution rights in the United States, Canada and the UK — The Hollywood Reporter has learned that she will not be coming to town at all.
Tensions are said to be high between Gascón and the streamer, which has invested millions in the film’s awards push. It was flourishing as recently as Jan. 23, when the film received a field-leading 13 Oscar nominations, just one shy of the all-time record. But now, at the most inopportune moment, it is on life support thanks to the Gascón revelations.
The two parties are now said to be communicating only through Gascón’s agent, Jeremy Barber of UTA. And it is my understanding that there is no great interest on the part of Netflix to provide the usual courtesies afforded by a studio to an Oscar contender, such as transportation and accommodations, to facilitate her attendance at the remaining award season gatherings.
It’s a film with something for everyone!
● Emilia Pérez: Latinos Say It’s Racist, but Does the Academy Care?
● Emilia Pérez is Not Good Trans Representation.
● As a trans woman, this is why I think Emilia Pérez is sub-par, disingenuous, harmful nonsense.
● Emilia Pérez Star Karla Sofía Gascón Under Fire Over Tweets About Muslims, George Floyd, Oscars Diversity.
It’s also a film that’s come full circle. On January 24th, John Podhoretz wrote, “Why did it get 13 Oscar nominations? Guess why. You know why. It’s the same reason the movie nobody has seen about Donald Trump got Oscar nominations for the guy playing Trump and the guy playing Roy Cohn.” But yesterday, Christian Toto spotted industry bible Variety comparing its “Best Actress nominee to Trump in latest skewering:”
Gascón is under fire for old social media posts. Some merely contrast with the preferred progressive narrative. The actress’ cynical take on the late George Floyd comes to mind.
Others are more alarming, like a post that goes shockingly soft on Adolf Hitler. The story has serious legs, with various outlets finding new ways to extend the narrative.
Day after day. Article after article. That’s no accident.
Gascón helped, in part, by crying through a new interview on the subject. The actress played the Victim Card along the way.
Here’s how Variety is framing the story now.
Karla Sofía Gascón may not be running for office, but her off-the-rails Oscar campaign has sucked all the energy out of this year’s award season — and made her look less like the anti-Trump and, well, more like the 45th and 47th President himself.
Comparing Gascón to Trump is the very worst thing Variety could say about the “Emilia Pérez” nominee. Full stop.
Previously, Variety said the actress’ comments cast a pall on the upcoming Oscars ceremony.
Gascón is “An awards-season star whose existence makes one wish the Oscars weren’t even happening.”
Speak for yourself, Variety!
