Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón has been making headlines recently for all the wrong reasons. When the Oscar nominations were announced last month, the 52-year-old made history as the first trans actor nominated in an acting role. However, her likelihood of winning the coveted award now appears to be in doubt.
So, what happened and where did things go wrong? Subscribe to our newsletter for a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.Here’s a brief summary… Emilia Perez, a Spanish-language musical crime drama from French director Jacques Audiard, won the Jury Prize at Cannes last year and was subsequently snapped up by Netflix. The film centers on a Mexican cartel leader (Gascón) who enlists a lawyer (Zoe Saldaña) to help her disappear so that she may transition into a woman. Selena Gomez also co-stars.Netflix released the movie in mid-November.
It earned generally favorable reviews from critics. Though not everyone who saw the film was a fan.Amongst the plaudits, there were more than a few naysayers. Some queer advocates expressed frustration with a movie in which a trans person’s surgery played a central role.
GLAAD called it “a step backward for trans representation.” In Mexico (where Gascón was a regular on telenovelas before her transition in 2018), many have expressed anger that the violence of drug cartels acts as the backdrop for a musical fantasy. Despite this, the movie has continued to win praise. It won “Best Musical or Comedy” at the Golden Globes last month, and followed this up with a whopping 13 Oscar nominations, which is the most ever for a foreign-language movie.
Netflix
Music
awards
reports
Trans
UPS
Selena Gomez
Emilia Perez
Jacques Audiard
Oscar