'Emilia Pérez' Star Karla Sofía Gascón Talks about Social Media Comments Trashing Film

As the Oscar race heats up, trans actress and "Emilia Pérez" star Karla Sofia Gascon opened up about her recent comments about "social media teams" trashing her and the film to boost another movie.

Gascon "recently made history as the first openly Trans person nominated for an acting Oscar for her work in the musical," Just Jared noted. But the accolades have not been without controversy.

"While speaking with a Brazilian newspaper," JJ continued, "she praised fellow Best Actress nominee Fernanda Torres, who is nominated for 'I'm Still Here,' and she also called out 'social media teams' criticizing her and 'Emilia Perez.'"

Brimming with compliments for Torres, Gascon told the press that the 'I'm Still Here' star is an "amazing actress who deserves all the recognition in the world," and outlined her philosophy around mutual support, saying, "This isn't a competition. This is simply about people liking one's work or not."

With Torres also in the running for an Oscar, Gason declared that "If she wins, great. If I win, same," JJ relayed.

But Gascon was no fan of certain other elements in the chattersphere.

"What I don't like are social media teams... trying to diminish our work, like me and my movie," she said, before adding: "You don't need to tear down someone's work to highlight another's.

"I have never, at any point, said anything bad about Fernanda Torres or her movie," Gason emphasized. "However, there are people working with Fernanda Torres tearing me and 'Emilia Pérez' down."

Commenting on how that association might reflect on the art, she mused, "That speaks more about their movie than mine."

JJ reported that Gason calling out the "social media teams" allegedly speaking ill of her and "Emilia Pérez" "drummed up an Academy campaign rule that bars nominees from talking negatively about fellow nominees or performances" – a rule that does not actually apply in this case, the outlet noted, since Gascon was not critiquing either "I'm Still Here" nor Torres, but rather people she claimed were seeking to boost "I'm Still Here" at the expense of "Emilia Pérez."

All the same, Gascon sought to explain where she was coming from, reiterating in comments to Variety that she is "an enormous fan of Fernanda Torres," and specifying that she "was referencing the toxicity and violent hate speech on social media that I sadly continue to experience" in her earlier remarks.

"Fernanda has been a wonderful ally, and no one directly associated with her has been anything but supportive and hugely generous," Gascon went on to say, for anyone still unsure of what she was trying to communicate.

"Emilia Pérez" has generated criticism apart from anyone seeking to boost "I'm Still Here," with some in the trans community decrying what they say is an unflattering depiction of transgender people in the film.

The plot of "Emilia Pérez" concerns a Mexican drug lord who, tired of the life she has led and of hiding her true gender identity, arranges to fake her own death, undergo gender confirmation treatment, set her family up in a new life in another country, and start over under a new name. But over time, she determines to reclaim her family, under the guise of being a distant relation who wishes to take the family under her wing. Issues of jealously surface as the drug lord's former wife courts a new man.

Though "Emiia Perez" has had a mostly warm reception from critics, at least one major advocacy organization, GLAAD, snubbed the film, leaving it with no nominations for its media awards.