‘I’m less racist than Gandhi’: Emilia Perez actor Karla Sofia Gascon claims she was targeted in a smear campaign

Gascón made history as the first transgender woman to be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her role in Emilia Pérez, also starring  Zoe Saldana and Selena Gomez in key roles. The film won big at Cannes, and Gascón was gaining recognition across the world. But soon after her success, some old tweets from her past resurfaced that got her a lot of backlash. Netflix dropped her from its Oscar campaign and even her co-stars distanced themselves from her.

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In Madrid, when reporters asked if she felt people had forgiven her, she replied bluntly, “Nobody has to forgive me for anything.” She maintained that if anyone felt hurt by things she said, they should talk to her directly. “When I ask people what it is about me that offends them, they can’t even answer,” she said.

 

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Karla Sofía Gascón claims, ‘smear campaign against me’

Gascón believes she was targeted on purpose as tweets that resurfaced were from 2016. “It’s clear there was a campaign against me,” she said and added, “They kept going until they got what they wanted.” In her remarks to EL Mundo, the actor added,  “They say I’m far-right or racist. But all my life, I’ve fought against that. When I was younger, I fought with skinheads.”

“Less racist than Gandhi”

The star from Alcobendas spoke about her feelings after being cancelled, saying, “I’m going to give you the headline: I’m less racist than Gandhi and less Vox than Echenique.” The statement made her a trending topic on social media in the next few hours. She claimed that people tried to paint her as prejudiced during what she calls “a social media massacre.” She also made it clear that while she respects Muslim people, she strongly opposes fanaticism and terrorism. “I have enormous respect for Muslims,” she said and added, “But not for the terrible things done in the name of religion.”

The Oscar snub

Despite her historic Oscar nomination, Gascón wasn’t allowed on the main red carpet. “They made me go somewhere else,” she explained, according to Euro news. “I only realised later I had skipped the carpet. They wanted me to be a robot, someone perfect. But I’m not perfect, and I don’t want to be.” She added, “Art comes from human imperfection. I don’t represent anyone but myself.”