How Emilia Pérez Is Being Removed from the ‘Emilia Pérez’ Oscar Campaign https://t.co/QmYqLYZAz3
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 4, 2025
This week, Oscar nominee Karla Sofía Gascón was expected to fly in to Los Angeles from her home in Spain for a busy week awards campaigning.
However, given the massive controversy that has engulfed Gascón in recent days, The Hollywood Reporter has learned that she will not be coming to town at all.
Tensions are said to be high between Gascón and Netflix, which has invested millions in the film’s awards push. But now, at the most inopportune moment, it is on life support thanks to the Gascón revelations.
The two parties are now said to be communicating only through Gascón’s agent, Jeremy Barber of UTA. There is no great interest on the part of Netflix to provide the usual courtesies afforded by a studio to an Oscar contender, such as transportation and accommodations, to facilitate her attendance at the remaining award season gatherings.
Netflix is not the only party interested in distancing itself from Gascón. Others who were to have attended some of the aforementioned events alongside the actress, such as the Santa Barbara Film Festival event, had indicated that they might have to cancel their participation if she did not cancel hers, out of concern that things could get very uncomfortable with her there.
Gascón may still attend award season gatherings closer to home, such as the Goya Awards, Spain’s version of the Oscars. Some of her behavior is not seen as problematic in Europe as it is stateside, plus she can get herself to those gatherings. And given that she is fighting for her future in the business, she may well elect to do so.
With the final round of Oscar voting set to begin on Tuesday, Feb. 11, Netflix is clearly undertaking efforts to try to spare Emilia Pérez’s other nominees — including and especially best supporting actress nominee Saldaña, who heretofore has been the clear frontrunner in her category — from the Gascón debris field.
Gascón has already been removed from email-blasts and ad-reads promoting the film for awards. It takes longer to adjust outdoor advertising, but some billboards that now feature images of Gascón will soon highlight other cast members in addition to her or exclusively.
Awkwardly enough, Gascón’s collaborators may still wind up in front of microphones this weekend accepting top prizes at the Critics Choice Awards and the PGA Awards. If they do, it will be fascinating to see if — and how — they address her absence.
