Karla Sofía Gascón “removed” from ‘Emilia Pérez’ Oscars campaign materials

Netflix is distancing itself from ‘Emilia Pérez’ star Karla Sofía Gascón to safeguard the film’s chances at the Oscars. Meanwhile, the Spanish actress is independently addressing the backlash from her past social media comments, which were deemed Islamophobic and racist, and she’s managing this without help from the streaming service or her PR team.

Gascón made history as the first openly trans performer nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards. She was initially slated to travel from Spain to Los Angeles for the crucial second phase of the Oscars campaign. Her itinerary included major industry events such as the AFI Awards luncheon on Thursday, the Critics Choice Awards on Friday, and the Directors and Producers Guild of America Awards on Saturday, followed by the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Sunday. However, she is no longer anticipated to attend any of these events, according to ‘Variety’.

Her absence complicates the campaign efforts for Netflix and the film’s awards team. Adding to the tension, Gascón shares a public relations firm, The Lede Company, with her co-star Zoe Saldaña. Sources indicate that Netflix and the PR agency have ceased direct communication with Gascón, instead liaising through her United Talent Agency representative, Jeremy Barber. Furthermore, Netflix has stopped covering her travel expenses and styling costs for awards shows.

If Gascón wishes to attend these events, she would be responsible for her own expenses. When she secured the transformative lead in ‘Emilia Pérez,’ she was relatively unknown and reportedly earned around 100,000 Euros (approximately £83,000) for her role. She did not respond to requests for comment.

A new For Your Consideration advertisement highlights ‘Emilia Pérez’s’ 13 Oscar nominations, including nods for best picture, international feature, director (Jacques Audiard), supporting actress (Saldaña), and original song (“El Mal”). However, Gascón’s image and the film’s title have been removed from much of the campaign material. Instead, the marketing highlights Saldaña and co-stars Selena Gomez and Adriana Paz. This suggests Netflix is attempting to downplay Gascón’s involvement to prevent controversy from overshadowing the film and its team’s efforts. The official FYC page prominently features a photo of Saldaña, with no images of Gascón.

The Oscar race has entered its post-nominations phase, where marketing focuses more on categories with higher winning prospects. Saldaña and the film are seen as strong contenders, whereas Gascón was expected to lose the Best Actress category to Demi Moore (‘The Substance’) even before the controversy. The omission of the lead actress and the film’s title in promotional content has raised eyebrows.

“It’s hard to imagine a campaign that excludes the titular character while aiming for victory,” an awards consultant told Variety.

Gascón, who apologised shortly after her posts surfaced and gave an independent interview with CNN en Español, addressed the situation once more via Instagram. She tagged various publications, asking, “How can I move forward?” she questioned, referencing “cancel culture.”

Some Oscar voters, opting for anonymity, indicated they’ve moved past considering her and the film. “Damn, I almost felt sorry for her at first, but now I’m like, ‘Forget that,’” one Academy member said.

Another veteran Oscar voter said the controversy wouldn’t influence their judgment, stating, “I judge the film on its merits, not external actions.” However, a third voter anticipated repercussions for the film and expressed sympathy for Saldaña, believing it might affect others. “I hope it doesn’t affect Zoe. It really shouldn’t,” they said.

Regarding Gascón’s potential attendance at the Oscars, changes to the broadcast could ease tension. The Oscars announced the return of ‘Fab 5’ moments, segments highlighting previous winners recognising nominees, though these won’t apply to acting categories this year. This decision predates the nominations.

The Netflix team has yet to discuss bringing Gascón to L.A. for the telecast. Despite her invitation as a nominee, there's concern her presence might overshadow other nominees or lead to unpredictable interviews.

As for the future of ‘Emilia Pérez,’ many Oscar campaigns have overcome controversy before. For instance, ‘Green Book’ won best picture in 2019 despite facing significant controversies of its own. Whether ‘Emilia Pérez’ can recover from the fallout of Gascón’s remarks remains uncertain, with Oscar voting deadlines approaching. The film's destiny, along with Gascón’s awards prospects, hang in the balance.