4 hours Ago By Evening Standard
An Oscar-nominated actress has sparked outrage after a series of resurfaced tweets revealed racist and offensive comments about Muslims, George Floyd , and diversity in Hollywood. Karla Sofía Gascón, who recently became the first openly trans individual to receive an Academy Award nomination in an acting category, has faced mounting criticism online. Variety journalist Sarah Hagi uncovered several posts from Gascón’s X account, dating back to 2020 and 2021.
One particularly inflammatory tweet from September 2020 read: “Islam is marvelous, without any machismo. “Women are respected, and when they are so respected they are left with a little squared hole on their faces for their eyes to be visible and their mouths, but only if she behaves. Although they dress this way for their own enjoyment.
How DEEPLY DISGUSTING OF HUMANITY.” Another tweet from November 2020 said: “I’m sorry, is it just my impression or is there more Muslims in Spain? “Every time I go to pick up my daughter from school there are more women with their hair covered and their skirts down to their heels. Next year instead of English we’ll have to teach Arabic.
” Gascón also posted controversial comments about George Floyd , referring to him as “a drug addict swindler” in a series of tweets following his death at the hands of a police officer in May 2020. In 2021, after that year’s Oscars ceremony, she wrote: “More and more the #Oscars are looking like a ceremony for independent and protest films. “I didn’t know if I was watching an Afro-Korean festival, a Black Lives Matter demonstration or the 8M [Women’s Strike].
Apart from that, an ugly, ugly gala.” In a statement issued to Variety, she said she was “deeply sorry” for the tweets. “I want to acknowledge the conversation around my past social media posts that have caused hurt,” she said.
“As someone in a marginalised community, I know this suffering all too well and I am deeply sorry to those I have caused pain. All my life I have fought for a better world. I believe light will always triumph over darkness.
” On Thursday, the 52-year-old released a separate statement regarding comments she made about fellow Oscar nominee Fernanda Torres . Speaking to Brazilian outlet Folha de S. Paulo, Gascón appeared to accuse Torres’ social media team of undermining her work.
“What I don’t like are social media teams—people who work with these people—trying to diminish our work, like me and my movie, because that doesn’t lead anywhere,” Gascón said. “You don’t need to tear down someone’s work to highlight another’s.” She clarified her comments in a statement to Variety, stating they were directed at “toxicity and violent hate speech on social media” and not at Torres or her team.
“Fernanda has been a wonderful ally, and no one directly associated with her has been anything but supportive and hugely generous,” she added. Gascón also described Torres as “a wonderful woman and an amazing actress who deserves all the recognition in the world” but admitted she had not yet seen Torres’ film I’m Still Here. “This isn’t a competition,” Gascón said.
“If [Torres] wins [the Oscar], great. If I win, same.” Earlier this month, Torres won the Golden Globe for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama.
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