Oscar-hopeful Karla Sofia Gascón apologizes for past racist, Islamophobic tweets

Karla Sofia Gascon, the transgender actress and history-making Oscar nominee for the musical film "Emilia Perez," has apologized after old social media posts resurfaced in which she denigrated Islam and George Floyd.

The controversy, which erupted days after Gascon became the first openly trans acting nominee in Academy Awards history, threatens to overshadow Netflix's campaign for a movie that procured a leading 13 Oscar nominations.

Gascon said she was "deeply sorry to those I have caused pain" in a statement sent to AFP via a Netflix spokeswoman on Friday.

Many of the social media posts, which date back to at least 2016, specifically criticize Islam and Muslims. Gascon described Islam as "an infection" and "a deeply disgusting type of humanity."

Edgar Ramirez, Zoe Saldana, Karla Sofia Gascon and Selena Gomez pose with their awards at the 36th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival, in Palm Springs, California, U.S., January 3, 2025.Reuters

Another post referred to Floyd -- the Black man murdered by US police, whose death in 2020 sparked mass anti-racism protests -- as a "drug addict and a scammer."

Spanish star Gascon, 52, was launched to global fame at the Cannes Film Festival last May, where "Emilia Perez" -- in which she plays a Mexican narco boss who becomes a woman -- won multiple prizes.

It was bought by streaming giant Netflix, and earlier this month, "Emilia Perez" shattered the record for the most Academy Award nominations for a non-English-language film, with 13 nods.

That success came despite criticisms from certain quarters of the film's depictions of Mexico and its drug war, representation of trans issues, and use of artificial intelligence to increase Gascon's voice range in musical scenes.

As the film's release and award campaign has ramped up, Gascon has spoken of her sadness and exhaustion at becoming a target for vicious online transphobic attacks.

Gascon also became embroiled this week after accusing "many people working around" her best actress rival nominee, Brazil's Fernanda Torres, of talking "badly about me and Emilia Perez."

But at least until now, Gascon has been considered a front-runner for best actress, and the film is viewed by pundits as a strong contender for best picture.

The social media tweets resurfaced Thursday after being shared online by journalist Sarah Hagi.

Gascon also joked that a "Chinese vaccine" for COVID-19 would come with "two spring rolls" and "a cat that moves its hand" and said a recent Oscars ceremony looked like "an Afro-Korean festival" or "a Black Lives Matter demonstration."

Gascon's account on X, formerly Twitter, has since been deactivated.

"I want to acknowledge the conversation around my past social media posts that have caused hurt," said Gascon's statement.

"As someone in a marginalized community, I know this suffering all too well, and I am deeply sorry to those I have caused pain.

"All my life, I have fought for a better world. I believe light will always triumph over darkness."