At the 2025 Oscars, Zoe Saldaña found herself at the center of controversy surrounding the film “Emilia Pérez.” The actress addressed backlash from the Mexican community, apologizing to those offended by the movie’s portrayal of Mexico. Critics slammed the film for perpetuating harmful cultural stereotypes, sparking a heated debate about representation and sensitivity in Hollywood.
Lead actress Karla Sofía Gascón also faced scrutiny after offensive social media posts from her past resurfaced. The controversy surrounding “Emilia Pérez” highlighted the importance of cultural authenticity and respectful storytelling in the entertainment industry. Saldaña’s apology during the press conference at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre shed light on the need for accountability and thoughtful portrayal of diverse communities on screen.
The Oscars incident underscored the ongoing challenges faced by marginalized groups in the film industry and the responsibility of actors and filmmakers to address cultural insensitivity. As conversations about representation and diversity continue to evolve, it is crucial for Hollywood to prioritize authentic storytelling and inclusive narratives that reflect the richness and complexity of different cultures.
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Video “Oscars: Zoe Saldaña Apologizes to Mexicans Offended by 'Emilia Pérez' | E! News” was uploaded on 03/04/2025 to Youtube Channel E! News
Zoe is so unlikable.
She should. But she doesn’t mean it and wanted an easy bought Oscar. Or she wouldn’t have taken on this role.
Fake Mexicans like this make me laugh. She read the script and said yes ok. Tells you everything she stands for. These people are so fake.
That's the worst non-apology. Are you kidding me with this headline???? She's so dismissive.
Then don't make it in spanish?
I'm sorry but her response was PERFECT. I feel like a prerequisite in being woke is to be someone who nitpicks things and exerts a lot of effort into being offended. Not everyone is brainwashed by wokeness and is going to think "oh this movie was all about Mexican representation since many of the characters were mexican" instead of the representation OF a set of experiences, that aren't limited to one nationality or race. It just so happens that in this movie these experiences were displayed through mexicans. But wokeness has created this mess where now any time a non white american straight person appears on a screen, the perceived intention must have been to just REPRESENT someone of that demographic. Consequently, the character has to be A PERFECT IDEALISTIC represenation in order to avoid controversy.
Mf’s getting offended about anything. Bunch of snowflakes
Just grab your award and shut up.
Apologize for making a terrible movie.
Leave.
She is a class act.
Sooo if she i right… why the french director didn't make a story about 4 french women… just saying…. nos hubiesemos evitado todo este problemon 🤷♀
Everyone with eyes and critical discernment is offended. Where's our apology?
🤣🤣🤣🤣
I just can’t rock with Zoe Saldana. Ever since she played Nina Simone, I haven’t been able to move past the fact that she used a prosthetic nose, an afro wig, and darkened skin to portray her, especially when she doesn’t even identify as Black. The Simone family and estate specifically asked her not to take the role and urged the filmmakers to reconsider, but she did it anyway.
She brushed off their concerns, saying, "it's art telling a story," yet she’s been vocal in past interviews about not identifying as Black. It’s hard not to see her choice as more about financial gain and privilege than honoring Nina’s legacy.
I’m sure she put in work for this project, and I wish her the best, but I just can’t support her.
honestly. I couldn’t watch it all the way through. not my vibe
That was not an apology!!! She said “I’m sorry that you got offended” she didn’t say “I’m sorry that we offended you”
Love Zoe, but that explanation sucks. She says the story could've been about women from Gaza, Russia, Israel or Destroit, but that's not the case. The movie was about an ex drug lord from Mexico transitioning into a trans woman, she played a Mexican character and the movie was "set" in Mexico. I'm not even Mexican, I'm from Costa Rica and I feel like Netflix, the cast, and the crew owe Mexico a HUGE apology for that insult of a movie. Mix that up with the comments made by its idiotic director. Nah, I love Zoe, but that response was dumb.
"i'm sorry you feel" is literally never an apology
Comment got deleted cause I stood up for the 🍉 women against the nonsense that came out of Zoey's ugly mouth.
The movie is awful and boring and wasn’t even accurate or good at all.
Is a fiasco and it didn’t deserve any awards.
stay mad mexicans we are winning
We do not accept that condescending apology.
Please, I'm offended they're offended about anything. Why wasn't anyone asking for an apology before the movie came out? Because they announced what it was about before it hit theaters. It's just another way to divide and cause a racist narrative. Poor people have nothing, so lets give them some drama to distract them from their miserable lives.
Yeah, I love musicals but turned this one off after 20 minutes
She is not sorry
She would’ve made a great politician
0:57 It wasn’t just a movie about 4 women they took SERIOUS issues like missing people and cartel crimes in Mexico and made them just an aesthetic without heart, and without researching the country and people they were leeching off
Worst movie ever
Pure class.
Say sorry for an offense while showing off the award they gave you for that offense
She didn't apologized, she went further with the ofense! Oh, the movie it's not about Mexico, sorry WHAT?!
This Mexican role she took literally gave her an oscar, Mexicans, it's time for us to stop being too nice and check these carribean latinos when it's time. You're not in NYC.
So, she practically accepted this movie just took a very delicate problem for many people, and used it as a shallow excuse to make it to the awards.
Clearly, she didn't learn from potraying Nina Simone years ago….
Can she apologize to the African American community for playing Nina Simone now?
How does she play a Mexican woman?That's my question