Zoe Saldaña has apologized to the people of Mexico for any offense caused by Emilia Pérez.
Speaking backstage at the Oscars following her Best Supporting Actress win Sunday night, Saldaña responded to a Mexican journalist who said the film had been “very very hurtful to Mexican people,” especially since Mexico was “at the heart” of the film.
“First of all,” Saldaña said, “I’m very, very sorry that you and so many Mexicans felt offended, that was never our intention, we came from a place of love and I stand by that.”
Emilia Pérez, which was nominated for a total 13 Oscars and ultimately won two — Saldaña’s and Original Song — was torpedoed in the Oscar race by the unearthing of Lead Actress nominee Karla Sofía Gascón’s controversial tweets, and the film received negative reactions from Mexican people who felt misrepresented by Emilia Pérez‘s depiction of Mexico and its people.
However, Saldaña disagreed with the notion that the film was about Mexico, saying, “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, could have been Dominican, could have been Black from Detroit, could have been from Israel, could have been from Gaza, and these women were still very universal women, but are struggling every day, they’re trying to survive systemic oppression and trying to find their most authentic voices. So, I will stand by that.”
Saldaña offered herself up for open dialogue regarding this issue. “I’m also always open to sit down with all of my Mexican brothers and sisters with love and respect having a great conversation on how Emilia could have been done better.
Saldaña also recalled the experience of battling on while trying to make it as an actress, saying, “Every time I went after a part and didn’t get it, and I cared so much and I was so heartbroken… but I got up again.”
She continued, “Realizing that it’s not about the win, when you learn to let that go, the day that you do win, you just have a deeper appreciation for it, and you feel you appreciate every moment that has led you here.”
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