Karla Sofía Gascón, the first trans woman to be nominated for best actress at the Oscars, is facing backlash after it emerged that she had posted transphobic content on her social media accounts in 2014. The posts were deleted and have since resurfaced online.
The controversy has sparked outrage among some of Gascón’s co-stars and colleagues, including Zoe Saldaña, who played a supporting role in the film alongside Gascón. Saldaña has spoken out against the negativity and stress caused by the situation.
“It makes me really sad because I don’t support [it], and I don’t have any tolerance for any negative rhetoric towards people of any group,” Saldaña said at a Q&A event for the film in London on Friday night.
The incident has raised questions about the role of social media in award season, where online narratives can quickly overshadow the stories within films themselves. The situation is also part of a broader trend of controversies and scandals affecting Oscar nominees, with several others facing accusations of “category fraud” or being accused of using AI-generated content to improve their performances.
The fallout from Gascón’s posts has also sparked debate about the industry’s handling of sensitive topics such as transphobia. Stephanie Bunbury, a film journalist at The Sydney Morning Herald, says that the incidents suggest a new imperative to win by fair means or foul, but adds that she is unsure whether it reflects a desperate state of the industry or just the nastiness of the times in which we live.
As the Oscars approach, the uncertainty surrounding Gascón’s nomination and others has left many wondering what the outcome will be. Will she still secure her place among the top contenders for best actress? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain: the incident has highlighted the complex and often fraught nature of award season in Hollywood.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250131-will-offensive-x-posts-derail-an-oscars-favourite-emilia-perez