Now that Zoe Saldaña has won an Oscar thanks to “Emilia Pérez,” the Best Supporting Actress winner can now lift the curtain and tackle the hate that Mexicans have had for the film.
Last night, Saldaña took questions from press and responded to a Mexican reporter who described the country as “the heart of the film.” They went on to describe French filmmaker Jacques Audiard’s depiction of Mexico as “hurtful” — and asked Saldaña to respond.
“First of all, I’m very, very sorry that you and so many Mexicans felt offended,” Saldaña said. “That was never our intention. We spoke and came from a place of love, and I will stand by that.”
She continued, “I don’t share your opinion. 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. They could have been Dominican. They could have been Black from Detroit. Could have been from Israel. Could have been from Gaza. And these women are still very universal women — that are struggling every day at trying to survive systemic oppression and trying to find their most authentic voices.”
This echoes what Audiard has been saying, time and time again; he wasn’t trying to explore Mexican culture in “Emilia Perez,” which was actually shot in France, but rather the Mexico in the movie was just a backdrop for his story.
Poisonous darts have been thrown at every direction when it comes to “Emilia Perez.” Mexicans have criticized the musical for being full of stereotypes. Audiard and Saldaña should have never apologized. There’s nothing reprehensible or morally wrong with the creative decisions Audiard took on “Emilia Perez.”
The most persistent complaints coming in from Mexico have been that 1) Audiard, a French director, does not speak Spanish; 2) he did not film the musical in Mexico; 3) He did not include Mexican-born actresses for any of the main roles.
The good news is that we can finally put all of these qualms behind us. The Oscars have happened. Saldaña can now continue to make ‘Avatar’ movies, Audiard is probably hoping that his next project doesn’t gain the kind of infamy that this one has, and Karla Sofia Gascon, well, we probably won’t be hearing that name again for a good long time.