Netflix paying for ‘Emilia Pérez’ star Karla Sofía Gascón to attend Oscars after racist tweets
NEW YORK — “Emilia Pérez” star Karla Sofía Gascón will attend the Academy Awards after the recent resurfacing of her racist tweets, and the film’s distributor Netflix will foot the bill.
Insiders confirmed to Variety on Monday that the 52-year-old Spanish actress — who made history last month as the first openly transgender performer nominated for an acting Oscar — will attend this Sunday’s 97th Academy Awards.
It has not yet been decided whether the titular star will walk the red carpet, take part in interviews or sit among the cast of the best picture nominee — including best supporting actress nominee Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez and best director contender Jacques Audiard.
“Emilia Pérez” centers on a cartel leader (Gascón) who fakes her death to live authentically as a trans woman, leaving behind her wife (Gomez) and young family. Emilia’s new life is facilitated in no small part by a lawyer (Saldaña), with whom she later works to try to right the wrongs of her criminal past.
Despite its awards season stature, the musical — which has been tapped for 13 Oscars, the most of any film this season — has long been controversial, for its portrayal of both Mexican culture and the transgender community.
Even so, “Emilia Pérez” picked up the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy, making it a front-runner for a best picture Oscar. That is, until Gascón’s disturbing tweets resurfaced, including one from 2020 suggesting a ban against Islam.
In another post, Gascón referred to George Floyd as “a drug addict and a hustler” and, in another, reportedly invoked Hitler with regard to racial and gender inequality.
In a lengthy statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Gascón apologized if she “offended” anyone with the tweets, some of which she explained away due to “ignorance or pure mistake.”
Noting that she is “a human being who also made, makes and will make mistakes from which I will learn,” Gascón said she has fought on behalf of “each and every one of the minorities in this world and supported freedom of religion.”
Gascón subsequently skipped several awards ceremonies where she was nominated, including this weekend’s Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Saldaña told Variety earlier this month she’s “sad” and “disappointed” about the controversy.
“I can’t speak for other people’s actions. All I can attest to is my experience, and never in a million years did I ever believe that we would be here,” Saldaña told the outlet’s “Awards Circuit” podcast.
———
Zoë Kravitz breaks silence on end of engagement to Channing Tatum
NEW YORK — Zoë Kravitz is breaking her silence on the end of her engagement to Channing Tatum — and she seemingly has nothing but good things to say about her former fiancé.
In an interview published Tuesday, the “Blink Twice” director and cowriter told Elle that the split does “not at all” impact her feelings about the thriller, in which Tatum stars as a tech billionaire hosting his entourage on a mysterious private island.
“I love this thing that we made together, and I care for him very much,” said Kravitz, 36. “Even when you bring up how great his performance is, it warms my heart to hear that, and I’m so happy that all of it happened. I just feel so grateful that we got to go on that journey together.”
In addition to praising Tatum’s “exciting” performance — “so different and so surprising, and something that I knew he was so capable of” — Kravitz had only warm wishes for the “Magic Mike” star’s future.
“He has so much more coming, and I think he’s in a place as an actor where he’s feeling really confident and people are seeing different sides of him,” Kravitz told Elle with a smile.
She added that her 44-year-old ex has “a lot to offer” and she’s “excited for people to keep witnessing that.”
News of the couple’s split broke just before Halloween 2024, a year after multiple sources confirmed to People that Kravitz and Tatum were headed for the altar.
The actors were first linked in early 2021 and their relationship was confirmed that September.
———
Paul McCartney's next book, 'Wings,' is a look back at the group he formed after the Beatles
Paul McCartney's next book, coming out this fall, is a reminder that the Beatles were not his only band.
“Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run” is an oral history about the group McCartney formed in the early 1970s, after the Beatles broke up. With members including guitarist Denny Laine and McCartney's then-wife, keyboardist Linda McCartney, Wings rose from driving to shows in a van to selling millions of records with such hits as “Band on the Run,” “Jet,” “My Love” and “Silly Love Songs.” The band broke up in 1981.
Edited by historian Ted Widmer, the illustrated, 528-page book draws in part on hours of interviews with McCartney. W.W. Norton & Company, which also published McCartney's “The Lyrics” and “1964: Eyes of the Storm,” announced Wednesday that “Wings” will be released Nov. 4.
“I’m so very happy to be transported back to the time that was Wings and relive some of our madcap adventures through this book,” McCartney, 82, said in a statement. “Starting from scratch after The Beatles felt crazy at times. There were some very difficult moments and I often questioned my decision. But as we got better I thought, ‘OK this is really good.’ We proved Wings could be a really good band. To play to huge audiences in the same way The Beatles had and have an impact in a different way. It was a huge buzz.”
From combined wire services