There are widespread celebrations post-Oscars because we don’t have to talk about or think about Emilia Perez ever again. It was possibly one of the most problematic films to ever get a Best Picture nomination, and thinkpieces will be written about how the f–k it got 13 Oscar nominations. I covered the extreme and well-documented backlash to the film from the LGBTQ+ community, including GLAAD Media’s refusal to cosign any part of the story with any kind of nominations. We also documented the well-earned backlash to Karla Sofia Gascon, the lead actress of the film and the first trans actress to get an Oscar nom. Gascon had a long history of saying and tweeting offensive, bigoted, racist and problematic sh-t. Meanwhile, in Mexico and throughout Latin America, there was another backlash to Emilia Perez – a backlash based on the European colonist attitudes prevalent throughout the film, from the French director’s vision of “Mexico” to the Spanish lead actress’s comments on Latin America. There was widespread disgust within Mexico over the film. Once Zoe Saldaña won her Oscar for Supporting Actress, she was asked about this by a Mexican entertainment reporter. Zoe’s answer was BAD!
Zoe Saldaña is standing by the messages in Emilia Pérez, but also open to continuing the conversation about how the movie “could’ve been done better.” Following her Best Supporting Actress win at the 2025 Oscars in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 2, the actress was asked by a reporter in the press room about some of the criticism surrounding the French-made film, which takes place in Mexico.
“A lot of things [have] been said about the movie, about trans people, about empowering women, but less has been said about Mexico, which is the heart of it,” the reporter told Saldaña, 46. “What would you say about the heart of this movie, but also the topic [that] is really hurtful for us Mexicans?”
“First of all, I’m very, very sorry that you and so many Mexicans felt offended [by Emilia Pérez],” Saldaña began her answer. “That was never our intention. We spoke and came from a place of love, and I will stand by that.”
The actress, who is of Dominican and Puerto Rican descent, went on to say that she doesn’t “share [the reporter’s] opinion,” in that “for me, the heart of this movie was not Mexico. We weren’t making a film about a country. We were making a film about four women.”
“And these women could have been Russian, could have been Dominican, could have been Black from Detroit, could have been from Israel, could have been from Gaza,” she continued. “And these women are still very universal women that are struggling every day trying to survive systemic oppression and trying to find their most authentic voices.”
Saldaña concluded, “So I will stand by that, but I’m also always open to sit down with all of my Mexican brothers and sisters, and with love and respect, having a great conversation on how Emilia could’ve been done better. I have no problem. I welcome it. Thank you.”
“For me, the heart of this movie was not Mexico…” I mean… it was clear that almost no one involved in making the film had ever been to Mexico or met any Mexican people. I can’t even imagine the unbridled arrogance of that, btw – to make this kind of film and show absolutely zero interest in grounding the film in any kind of authentic Mexican life when it’s set IN MEXICO and all of the characters are supposed to be Mexican.
“Emilia Pérez” star Zoe Saldaña responds to criticism of the film’s portrayal of Mexico, after a journalist shares that it has been “really hurtful for us Mexicans.” https://t.co/AUQtz88gSi pic.twitter.com/8MBNR4Pvcn
— Variety (@Variety) March 3, 2025
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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- Red carpet arrivals at the 97th Annual Academy Awards held at Dolby Theater Featuring: Zoe Saldana Where: Los Angeles, California, United States When: 02 Mar 2025 Credit: Valerie/MediaPunch/INSTARimages
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- Celebrities arriving at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party, Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts Featuring: Zoe Saldana Where: Los Angeles, United States When: 02 Mar 2025 Credit: Doug Peters/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Celebrities at the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party at The Wallis Annenberg Center For performing Arts in Beverly Hills, California Featuring: Zoe Saldana Where: Beverly Hills, California, United States When: 02 Mar 2025 Credit: Jeffrey Mayer/MediaPunch/INSTARimages
I’m not surprised by Zoe’s comments at all.
This is par for the course for her. While she is beautiful & talented she always comes across as arrogant & lacking self awareness.
In a really old interview of hers I read that she blamed people not “getting” her personality on being Dominican. Perhaps that’s true. But girlie has lived in North America for most of her life and she’s a actor so it’s time to learn about culture, history, colonialism, etc.
In a 2009 Esquire interview she said “I hate that fucking question,” she says, after you ask about her ethnic makeup. “I’m Dominican, Lebanese, Indian, Irish, Jamaican. But I hate going into that. I just say, ‘I’m from Queens.” Immediately after that, she asks the *reporter* a question that touches on the same issue! Now she’s all-in on her Dominican heritage exclusively, talks about it incessantly, and spells her surname with a tilde.
Expediency, thy name is Zöe (Zoe?).
Wait, I thought she was from Passaic?
Zoe became insufferable after her first two nose jobs to be honest. Kind of like Drake
I won’t be seeing this film because of all the criticism of it (I believe Mexicans literally walked out of the theaters and asked for their money back), the problematic lead, and personally, I find this lady insufferable – from the Nina Simone blackface (really? Lauryn Hill was right there – Marianna Jean Baptiste was right there Viola Davis was right there) to her comments about other women to her worship of her husband’s Aryan features (she can’t even accept an Oscar without bringing up his hair) which seem to make her value her babies so much more. She’s colorist, pretentious, and annoying, I can’t with her. I really really can’t.
Mexico, I’m sorry you were offended (da fuck kind of apology is that?) and these women could have been from Gaza. Really? Isn’t this a film about Mexican cartels? Whatever she is who she is at her core.
Got into with my mother about this speech. She was praising it and I was having none of it. The answer was problematic and condescending. She doesn’t learn. She faced backlash for her blackface in Nina Simone and then she comes back with this. It’s a pattern not a coincidence that she goes for roles likes this.
Right? She is something. I want no part of it and see her coming from a mile away. Also I meant to say Marianne Jean Batiste I hate auto correct sometimes. My apologies.
ALL OF THAT!👍
I mean…of all the things she could praise about her husband (his good character, his kindness, good father, good person) she praises his hair. It says everything I need to know about her. She is a colonizer’s dream. If we all thought like her it’s game over for all of us.
Exactly. Saldana’s comments fit right in with who I clocked her as being pretty much from the minute she came on the scene, based on her interviews, her associations, etc. She is white-identified to the core and it comes out in everything she does.
I’m with you I never liked her. It reminds me when I saw George Zimmerman in an interview and I immediately hated him before he said one word. It was visceral.The first time I saw her she was in an episode of Law & Order playing a ridiculous stereotype. She made my left eye twitch then and this continues today. Also that dress is all kinds of awful – fitting she had it on.
Smug, pretentious, condescending, entitled, and disrespectful. Will this movie and its problematic director and cast GO AWAY already? If you can’t properly address and acknowledge the hurt this movie has caused the Mexican community and culture, please just take your Oscar, get off stage, and go away.
I’m not all that concerned with a deeply silly movie like Emilia Perez (seriously, you’ve heard that p**** to v***** song all the way through right?) taking place in an exaggerated version of Mexico. Everything is exaggerated in musicals, that’s their power. The culture seems to want more and more gritty realism and less and less whimsy, exaggeration, and fun. I guess I’m in the minority here. My life is already gritty and real enough.
Sounds about white.
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽🤣
Jajajajajajaja
If I remember correctly the very first image in the film is a Mariachi band in Sombreros – so forgive me for thinking your movie is putting an emphasis on place lol
Since Drumline I have had an ick about her but I didn’t know why. I largely ignored her movies because of it. Now I see why.
I mean this is the woman who saw no problems with her playng Nina Simone and doing it in blackface until she got backlash for it. This response wasn’t surprising.
She is the poster child for internalized anti-Blackness. That Nina Simone role. Her comments are so tone deaf, and I am not surprised she was involved with this icky movie, at all. Ugh.
Typical Zoe. She hasn’t learned from her past, including her shameless attempt to portray Nina Simone’s life with RACIST blackface. So quick to disregard those she has hurt. She’s such a fraud.
But but but she deserved the award cause she’s been acting for so many years and was in Avatar, blah blah blah…..sarcasm
But this movie wasn’t about Russians or women from Gaza, it was very specifically set in Mexico and the main character was part of a Mexican cartel. So yeah, I think Mexico was important to the story otherwise the director could have set it in France.
Zoe and her team played it really smart to say as little as possible during the campaign.
Her saying something absolutely dumb, arrogant, ignorant and tone deaf always had as 75% probability.
I still remember her saying some inane / insanely stupid things during the Nina Simone fiasco.
I remember that stuff, too.
She was problematic but people were also willing to give her a little benefit of the doubt because she was much younger, not well educated on black history, had not processed the racism she had experienced in her own life, etc. I was willing to do the same because growing up Afro Latina in North America is not for the faint of heart.
She remains a massive idiot.
Also, she better surround her children with people who will teach them about racism. They’re gonna need it.
I’m pretty sure she’s close with her co star Chris Pratt and his wife Katherine.
These comments on here are different than the ones on the article posted yesterday about her ugly dress, “I like her dress and I’m so happy she won!” It’s like yall completely overlooked her donning black face for “Nina Simone” and doing “Emilia Perez” film (which had it’s own problems itself…..
And another thing, “I’m sorry you feel that way” is not a sincere apology. She can kiss my ***
Everything about that movie has been a mess from start to finish.
Yeah, I was giving her the benefit of the doubt until this.
It’s not about Mexico? Then don’t make it about Mexican characters or set in Mexico! Otherwise, yes, it IS in large part about Mexico.
What the actual F?! This is such a non-apology — it’s actually adding insult to injury.
Also, as a Mexican-American who speaks with Mexican language teachers from Mexico, her Spanish in this film also sounded off for a Mexican. She’s fluent, yes, but in Dominican Spanish. So when she says “no mames” (kinda like “no effing way”) it sounds funny.
There’s also a line (I just saw a clip) where Selena Gomez’s character is trying to say something like her p–sy aches for someone, but she literally says her vulva hurts. I heard a podcast where someone loled at that because it’s something you’d only say to your gyno.
It’s like no one bothered to consult anyone actually Mexican or even the damn internet to do their jobs better or make this movie less of a joke.
I just wonder how Zoe would have felt if the same thing happened with a movie that was about characters from the DR and set in the DR. She might have some feelings about it then…
I haven’t seen Emilia Perez yet. A large a part of that is because of Zoe and her anti-black self hatred. Her, “I’m not Black, i’m Dominican” BS just pisses me off. The two are not mutually exclusive. I say this as a proud Black Dominicana. Maybe I have less problems embracing my Blackness because one of my parents is an FBA – Foundational Black American, while the other is Afro-Domincana. I’m about the same complexion as Zoe and have never had a problem identifying as both Black AND Dominican. So her denial of her blackness, and her arrogance surrounding the topic are a huge turnoff to me. I don’t know if I’ll ever even watch this movie just because of my dislike for Zoe. (The other bad press doesn’t help.)
And that first dress was horrible.
Least we forget how Zoe went in on Dominicans online that talked about the atrocities committed by Trujillo . She is happily and perfectly mentally colonized. The type that will being weaponized against all black people and in some cased non-black POC.
White Hollywood executives and producers know how she is and will always be employed and promoted because of it. Its the same with Cynthia Eviro
White Hollywood indeed loves to elevate certain entertainers of color who are noticeably anti-black, Zoe and Cynthia are certainly among them.
@Angelica Zoe has the right to say she is Dominican and you have the right to say black Dominican. This doesn’t mean she hates herself. I dont like it when I am called Mexican because I am from El Salvador but I was born in Mexico but grew up in El Salvador and that is where my parents are from. They were visiting when she went into labor. I dont hate mexico I just dont see myself as mexican. I’m dark skinned but I would not identity with black El Salvadorian. Its not a denial of my dark skin but I dont have that upbringing and identify as central american.
Cubans said the same thing about Al Pacino in Scarface and it went on to be come a very loved and celebrated classic. As a latina I am not offended by the movie or that a French director was involved. This was an exaggerated telenovela opera musical and as much as I hate musicals I really enjoyed it. Selena could have invested in some spanish classes but other then that if I see the film for what it is I have no bad things to say. Anora was kind of a Russian exaggeration too. This bigger then life or reality movies are all about story telling. It got 13 nods and a lot of the other Hispanic friends of mine have stated that they liked it. I think the only flaw i saw was the that lead actress had a past and did nothing to correct it.
Zoe, is that you, gurl?
There was a thread on Blue Sky about her not mentioning trans people in her acceptance speech. Someone said something about her team probably told her to stay away from it so she wouldn’t step in it and people were really pissed. The person even said they wouldn’t have done but they understand why because Zoe has a history of stepping in it – looks like they were right. LOL.
I stopped being a fan of hers after the whole Nina Simone black face film fiasco. She knew she was miscast because she had no real tangible connection to Nina and her experiences as a Foundational Black woman in America, not to mention she looked nothing like Nina. Of course Zoe only apologized after the film wrapped but it was too late.