The road to the Academy Awards is rarely smooth, but this year’s Oscar race has been particularly tumultuous, with several front-runners facing significant backlash due to resurfaced social media posts and past controversies, according to Reuters.
Netflix’s hopes for a best picture win with Emilia Perez have been dashed, while other nominees are grappling with scandals that threaten to overshadow their achievements.
Emilia Perez, a genre-bending musical crime drama, was once considered Netflix’s strongest contender for best picture. The film, which won the jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival and earned 13 Oscar nominations, seemed poised for success. However, its prospects dimmed after a journalist uncovered and translated a series of offensive social media posts by its Spanish star, Karla Sofia Gascon.
In posts dating from 2016 to 2020, Gascon described Islam as a “hotbed of infection for humanity” and referred to George Floyd as a “drug addict swindler.” The resurfaced comments sparked global outrage, amplified by social media. Gascon issued an apology, but the damage had been done.
Gascon has since disappeared from the awards circuit, though she has stated she will attend the Oscars ceremony. Netflix has not commented on the controversy.
Season of scandals
Emilia Perez is not the only film facing scrutiny. Michael Schulman, author of Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears, noted that nearly every best picture nominee this year has been embroiled in some form of controversy.
Director Brady Corbet defended the use of artificial intelligence to perfect actors Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones’ delivery of Hungarian dialogue, sparking debates about the role of AI in filmmaking. Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres, nominated for best actress, apologised for appearing in blackface in a decades-old television skit.
Schulman compared the situation to the film Conclave, where every candidate for Pope has a hidden skeleton.
However, controversies are not new to the Oscars. In 2019, Green Book won best picture despite revelations that director Peter Farrelly had exposed himself to actress Cameron Diaz in what he called a misguided attempt at humor. Farrelly apologised, calling himself “an idiot,” but the film’s victory highlighted how scandals don’t always derail a movie’s chances.
As the Oscars approach, the controversies surrounding this year’s nominees serve as a reminder of the challenges filmmakers and actors face in the spotlight. While some films may overcome the scandals, others, like Emilia Perez, have seen their chances evaporate.
