Selena Gomez is keeping it real about the drama surrounding “Emilia Pérez.” While accepting the Virtuosos Award at the Santa Barbara Film Festival on Sunday, she addressed the controversy that’s been clouding the Oscar-nominated film.
“Some of the magic has disappeared,” she admitted. “But I choose to continue to be proud of what I’ve done, and I’m just grateful. I live with no regrets, and I would do this movie over and over again if I could.”
If you missed it, “Emilia Pérez” has been making headlines for more than just its awards buzz. In late January, old tweets resurfaced from the film’s lead, Karla Sofía Gascón, in which she shared controversial takes on several topics, including personalities, religion, and diversity at the Oscars. As a result of the past comments, it is reported that Netflix quickly distanced itself from Gascón, pulling financial support for her awards campaign.
Things got even messier when a tweet allegedly from Gascón called Gomez a “rich rat.” But Gascón denied it, telling CNN en Español, “Of course that’s not mine. I have never said anything about my partner. I would never refer to her that way.”
Despite all the noise, Gomez is holding onto the good parts of her “Emilia Pérez” experience. “Just having someone see something in me besides the obvious was such a special experience,” she shared. “The director [Jacques Audiard] 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.”
© FilmMagicAnd here’s where things took a turn that had fans in the audience audibly gasping. When asked about what’s next, Gomez dropped a bit of a bombshell: “I don’t know, it’s going to be hard for me to ever go back to music after this.”
She’s clearly back to her acting era and loving it. Whether this means she’s putting music on pause indefinitely or just taking a breather, Selena Gomez is making big moves and doing it on her terms.
© Getty Images for Santa Barbara IKarla Sofía Gascón first award of the pre-Oscar season
Karla Sofía Gascón won the Critics Choice Award 2025 in the Best Song category for “El Mal,” which she performed alongside Zoe Saldaña and French singer-songwriter Camille in “Emilia Pérez.” Despite the tweets controversy, she has high expectations this awards season, with nominations including Best Actress at the Oscars.
The song, composed by Clément Ducol and Camille, triumphed over Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, and Maren Morris. “El Mal would not be what it is without your performance,” Camille said when accepting the award. Gascón was absent from the ceremony. Audiard expressed disappointment regarding the situation. “It’s a self-destructive attitude that I can’t interfere with, and I really don’t understand why it continues,” the French filmmaker stated.