Emilia Pérez director Jacques Audiard has thanked his lead actor, Karla Sofía Gascón, during an acceptance speech at the Baftas – following weeks of controversy surrounding her bigoted social media posts.
Emilia Pérez beat out four other films in the best film not in the English language category: Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light, Walter Salles’s I’m Still Here, Rich Peppiatt’s Kneecap, and Mohammad Rasoulof’s The Seed of the Sacred Fig.
Thanking his cast, Audiard added at the end of his speech: “I also thank you Karla Sofía, who I kiss.”
It was a significant tribute from the French film-maker, who had previously responded to the comments of his Oscar-nominated star by branding them “hateful”.
The social media behaviour of Gascón, who had shown bigoted views towards people of colour, Muslims and increased diversity at the Oscars, plummeted Emilia Pérez into controversy in the last few weeks – and led to Netflix removing her image from their film posters. It is understood that the streamer has removed the film’s star from campaigning materials, will no longer provide funds for her to attend events and ceremonies, and is no longer in direct contact with her.
Accepting the award for best supporting actress, Zoe Saldaña also thanked the film’s “wonderful cast” including Gascon.
Gascón, who is the first out transgender actress to be Bafta- and Oscar-nominated for leading actress, was absent from the awards. This followed an apology that she hoped her “silence will allow the film to be appreciated for what it is, a beautiful ode to love and difference.”
“It’s very hard for me to think back to the work I did with Karla Sofía,” Audiard said in an interview with Deadline earlier this month. “The trust we shared, the exceptional atmosphere that we had on the set that was indeed based on trust.
“And when you have that kind of relationship and suddenly you read something that that person has said, things that are absolutely hateful and worthy of being hated, of course that relationship is affected. It’s as if you fall into a hole. Because what Karla Sofía said is inexcusable.”
When asked if he has spoken to her since, he responded at the time: “I haven’t spoken to her, and I don’t want to. She is in a self-destructive approach that I can’t interfere in, and I really don’t understand why she’s continuing.”
After the tweets were discovered, Gascón initially went on the attack with multiple statements and an hour-long interview. While she has admitted to being “deeply sorry” she also called out a “campaign of hate and misinformation” that led to her being “harassed”.
“She’s really playing the victim,” Audiard said in response. “She’s talking about herself as a victim, which is surprising. It’s as if she thought that words don’t hurt.”
Emilia Pérez was nominated for 11 Baftas, including best director, best film, and film not in the English language. The film was also criticised heavily in Mexico over issues of authenticity and taste, for which Audiard later apologised.
In his speech on Sunday, Audiard also paid tribute to his fellow shortlisted directors. “From Ireland, India, Iran, or Brazil, we all try to talk about the world in our own way, with our own tools and sensibilities,” he said. “Through cinema, we weave narratives that try to push back the boundaries, to question a few conventions, even if that sometimes means breaking a few rules along the way.”
