Selena Gomez Defends Herself After Eugenio Derbez Criticizes Her ‘Emilia Pérez’ Performance https://t.co/6bqQA8dg6n
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) December 8, 2024
Actor Eugenio Derbez made a guest appearance on the podcast Hablando de Cine, and the topic of the new film Emilia Perez came up of which both host Gaby Meza and Derbez were critical of Selena Gomez’s Spanish in the film.
After Meza says that Gomez’s performance was indefensible in comparison to Saldana’s (whose performance they both liked), Derbez continues, “Selena is indefensible. I was watching the movie with people, and we looked at each other every time she had a scene, we looked at each other.“
Meza acknowledges that while Selena is a talented actress with fans who will defend her, because Spanish isn’t her native language much less her second or fifth, it felt like she didn’t know what she was saying so the performance suffered.
Derbez agrees and replies, “I’m glad you’re saying it because I said, ‘Why is no one talking about that?’” He goes on to share why he thinks Gomez has been receiving awards such as at Cannes, “I feel like they don’t speak Spanish […] How funny that a director… I liked the film, aside from the Selena [scenes] that jump at you, because it has salvageable things. But I told myself, ‘How weird that the director doesn’t speak English or Spanish and the movie is in Spanish and English, and it takes place in Mexico and you don’t understand the culture.’”
Selena Gomez then commented on a tiktok that excerpted the interview (but isn’t associated to the podcast): “I understand where you are coming from..I’m sorry I did the best I could with the time I was given. Doesn’t take away from how much work and heart I put into this movie”
Gomez additionally commented, “Also do not ever say my fans are the problem standing up, as you say, for me”
