Emilia PérezNominee Karla Sofía Gascón Still Plans to Attend 2025 Oscars Despite Backlash

Mar. 15, 2025

Karla Sofi­a Gascon at the Governors Awards on Nov. 17, 2024.Photo:Gilbert Flores/Getty

Gilbert Flores/Getty

Karla Sofía Gascón, the history-making Oscar nominee at the center of an award season scandal for her past offensive tweets, plans to attend Sunday’sAcademy Awardsceremony.

A source tells PEOPLE on Monday, Feb. 24, that theEmilia Pérezstar, 52, is expected to attend the event on March 2, after skipping several major award shows since facing backlash.

Reps for Gascón and Netflix, the film’s distributor, did not respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.

Gascón toldThe Hollywood ReporterFeb. 24, “I’m not sure how I feel, but I’m grateful to be back. I’m grateful to all those who’ve believed in me — to Netflix, the production company and my colleagues. We can close this beautiful and difficult path that began three years ago.”

When this year’s Oscar nominations were revealed Jan. 23,Emilia Pérezwas the most-nominated film, and Gascón, who plays the titular role, became thefirst openly transgender starto be nominated for Best Actress.

Karla Sofi­a Gascon at the Golden Globes on Jan. 5, 2025.Michael Buckner/GG2025/Getty

Michael Buckner/GG2025/Getty

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Her costar Saldaña, a frontrunner for the Best Supporting Actress category,spoke out after the headline-making backlash, saying it “makes me really sad because I don’t support and I don’t have any tolerance for any negative rhetoric towards people of any group.”

French director Jacques Audiard, also nominated forEmilia Pérez,then toldDeadlineFeb. 5 that Gascón’s tweets were “absolutely hateful andworthy of being hated,” calling them “inexcusable."

Prior to Audiard’s remarks, Gascón said in a tearful interview withCNNthat she “cannot step down from an Oscar nomination because I have not committed any crime nor have I harmed anyone,” and added, “I am neither racist nor anything that all these people have tried to make others believe I am.”

Karla Sofia Gascon and Zoe Saldana in “Emilia Perez”.PAGE 114/WHY NOT PRODUCTIONS/PATHÉ FILMS/FRANCE 2 CINÉMA

PAGE 114/WHY NOT PRODUCTIONS/PATHÉ FILMS/FRANCE 2 CINÉMA

But Gascón spoke out after Audiard addressed the controversy,promising “silence” for the rest of award season in orderto “allow the film to be appreciated for what it is, a beautiful ode to love and difference.” She added in that Feb. 6 Instagram post, “I sincerely apologize to everyone who has been hurt along the way."

Gascón attended the Golden Globes on Jan. 5, prior to the controversy, but she has skipped award shows like the Critics Choice Awards, the EE BAFTA Film Awards, the SAG Awards and more.

source: people.com