Zoe Saldaña Speaks Out on Emilia Pérez Co-Star Karla Sofía Gascón’s Controversy: ‘Sad and Disappointed’

Zoe Saldaña continues to process the backlash surrounding her Emilia Pérez co-star Karla Sofía Gascón, following the resurfacing of past racist and Islamophobic social media posts on January 30.

“I’m sad. Time and time again, that’s the word because that is the sentiment that has been living in my chest since everything happened,” Saldaña told Variety in an excerpt from an upcoming episode of its Awards Circuit Podcast, published Wednesday.

“I’m also disappointed. I can’t speak for other people’s actions. All I can attest to is my experience, and never in a million years did I ever believe that we would be here.”

Saldaña emphasized that the person behind the offensive social media posts was not the same person she worked with on the musical thriller.

“I can’t attest to what people do in their private time with their private handles,” she said.

Although her comments echoed statements she made in January, the Avatar star admitted she was still processing her feelings about the situation.

“You may believe that it’s just a statement I came up with alongside my team, but at the end of the day, when I can’t speak on behalf of anyone else, I can only speak on behalf of myself and what I witnessed,” Saldaña said. “And that needs to be enough for now. I’m still processing.”

She went on to describe the controversy as a learning experience, both personally and more broadly.

“I certainly think that this is a learning experience. Everything in life is a learning experience for all of us. And the point of uncomfortable events is for the sake of evolution. So I hope that we continue moving in the right direction.”

The controversy surrounding Karla Sofía Gascón has gained serious attention just as the Oscars approach. Last month’s nominations revealed that Emilia Pérez leads this year’s race with 13 nods, including Best Picture. Gascón, the first openly transgender person to be nominated for an acting Oscar, is up for Best Actress, while Zoe Saldaña is nominated for Best Supporting Actress—her first-ever Oscar nomination. Despite the backlash, Entertainment Weekly predicts Saldaña will take home the award.

“I’m allowing myself to still experience that joy because we did come together as a team,” Saldaña said. “But we are also individuals who are responsible for everything that we say and everything that we do.”

Meanwhile, the film’s director, Jacques Audiard, has distanced himself from Gascón, stating that she is in a “self-destructive approach.”

“It’s very hard for me to think back to the work I did with Karla Sofía,” Audiard told Deadline in an interview published Wednesday. “The trust we shared, the exceptional atmosphere on set—everything was built on that trust. And when you suddenly read something that person has said, things that are absolutely hateful and deserving of condemnation, of course, that relationship is affected. It feels like falling into a hole. What Karla Sofía said is inexcusable.”

Neither Saldaña nor Audiard have spoken to Gascón since the controversy erupted. Gascón issued an apology the same day the posts resurfaced.

“I want to acknowledge the conversation around my past social media posts that have caused hurt,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “As someone in a marginalized community, I know this suffering all too well, and I am deeply sorry to those I have caused pain. All my life, I have fought for a better world. I believe light will always triumph over darkness.”