Trans 'Emilia Pérez' Actress Karla Sofía Gascón Dropped from Oscar Season Events

The controversial Netflix musical "Emilia Pérez" will be represented at key events as the Oscar awards season heats up, but the trans actress at its heart won't be part of the festivities following the revelation of offensive tweets from the past.

The Hollywood Reporter detailed that embattled star Karla Sofía Gascón will no longer be taking part in the charm offensive that's part and parcel for awards season, despite her history-making status as the first openly transgender performer to be nominated for an Academy Award in the acting category.

Her exclusion risks upsetting a carefully calibrated and choreographed series of appearances at high-profile events as the film continues a push to win in the near-record number of categories for which the film has been nominated. Several such events are scheduled to take place this week, THR noted, including the AFI Awards luncheon (Feb. 6), the Critics Choice Awards (Feb. 7), the Directors Guild Awards, and the Producers Guild Awards... the latter two "happening opposite each other" on Feb. 8, THR added, with the film "nominated for the top awards of both."

Netflix had originally strategized to deal with the two simultaneous events by sending Gascón to the PGA awards ceremony, "where she was to serve as a presenter."

None of that will be happening for Gascón in the wake of the old social media posts, though others associated with "Emilia Pérez" are still expected to be in attendance.

"The controversy arose after journalist Sarah Hagi shared screenshots of Gascón's old social media posts, in which she was critical of Muslim culture, the death of George Floyd and the direction of the Oscars," CNN recounted.

Among the resurfaced tweets was one in which she posted, "I really believe that very few ever cared about George Floyd, a scammer drug addict," CNN recalled.

In another, she took aim at the 2021 Oscars, posting, "The #Oscars are increasingly resembling an independent and vindictive film awards ceremony, I didn't know if I was watching an Afro-Korean festival, a Black Lives Matter demonstration, or March 8th," the latter of which is celebrated as International Women's Day.

"Gascón, who deactivated her account on X following the controversy, apologized this week for her posts," the news outlet went on to add.

In a statement, Gascón said, "As a member of a marginalized community, I know this suffering all too well and deeply regret having caused pain."

"All my life I have fought for a better world," the actress added. "I believe that light will always triumph over darkness."

She also declared herself a victim, telling CNN that she had "been judged, condemned, sacrificed, crucified, and stoned without a trial and without the option to defend myself," and claiming not to have written a post that seemed to shade her "Emilia Pérez" co-star Selena Gomez.

"It's not mine, of course, I have never said anything about my colleague, I would never refer to her that way," Gascón insisted.

She also declared that she is in the Oscar race to win it, and has no intention of withdrawing from the Best Actress contention.

"I cannot step down from an Oscar nomination because I have not committed any crime nor have I harmed anyone," Gascón told CNN. "I am neither racist nor anything that all these people have tried to make others believe I am."

Netflix, however, seems to have decided that the best way to contain the fallout is to minimize attention to Gascón, with reports noting that references to the actress have been removed from promotional outreach and billboards featuring her likeness are due to be swapped out for new imagery that will center her co-stars.

"Tensions are said to be high between Gascón and the streamer, which has invested millions in the film's awards push," THR relayed. "It was flourishing as recently as Jan. 23, when the film received a field-leading 13 Oscar nominations, just one shy of the all-time record.

"But now, at the most inopportune moment, it is on life support thanks to the Gascón revelations."

"The streamer is not the only party interested in distancing itself from Gascón," THR shared, explaining that "others who were to have attended some of the aforementioned events alongside the actress... 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."

THR went on to add: "In the meantime, 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 [Zoe] Saldaña, who heretofore has been the clear frontrunner in her category – from the Gascón debris field."