Selena Gomez was supposed to receive her Virtuoso Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival alongside “Emilia Pérez” co-star Karla Sofía Gascón on Sunday. But instead, she was left solo to stand behind their film amid its continued fallout.
Best Actress nominee Gascón removed herself from the Oscar campaign trail this past week after racist tweets of hers resurfaced — and after director Jacques Audiard and Best Supporting Actress nominee Zoe Saldaña publicly distanced themselves from her. However, while Gomez acknowledged the difficulties associated with the fallout on-stage this weekend, she made sure to show her love for the Netflix musical.
“I’m really good. Some of the magic has disappeared, but I choose to continue to be proud of what I’ve done,” she shared. “I’m just grateful and live with no regrets and I would do this movie over and over again if I could.”
“Just having someone see something in me besides the obvious was such a special experience,” Gomez added. “The director just really trusted me, and I was so grateful because I’ve gotten to show people that I am capable of doing more. I hope this is just the beginning for me in this field.”
She further noted, “It’s going to be hard for me to ever go back to music after this.” The SBIFF audience was audibly stunned by this revelation, as seen above.
Gomez’s comments came after Gascón herself responded to Audiard speaking out against her last week. “Following Jacques’ interview that I understand, I decided, for the film, for Jacques, for the cast, for the incredible crew who deserves it, for the beautiful adventure we all had together, to let the work talk for itself, hoping my silence will allow the film to be appreciated for what it is, a beautiful ode to love and difference,” Gascón wrote on Instagram. “I sincerely apologize to everyone who has been hurt along the way.”
Still, “Emilia Pérez” remains the most-nominated movie at the 2025 Oscars, which air March 2 on ABC and Hulu.
