AssetID: 54491693
Headline: UNCAPTIONED: Zoe Saldaña defends first response to Karla Sofía Gascón controversy
Caption: Zoe Saldaña has defended her initial response to the controversy surrounding her Emilia Pérez co-star Karla Sofía Gascón. Following her historic Best Actress Oscar nomination last month, Gascón came under fire over past offensive tweets and she has since been removed from the studio's awards campaigns. Her co-star Saldaña, who is up for Best Supporting Actress, was asked about the controversy directly at a Q&A in London over the weekend and many felt her response was too neatly packaged and media trained. However, in a new interview on Variety's Awards Circuit Podcast, the Avatar star addressed her first response and admitted it is difficult bearing the brunt of the scandal on the campaign trail. ”You may believe that it's just a statement I came up with alongside my team, but at the end of the day, when I can't speak on behalf of anyone else, I can only speak on behalf of myself and what I witnessed,” "And that needs to be enough for now. I'm still processing. I certainly think that this is a learning experience. Everything in life is a learning experience for all of us. And the point of uncomfortable events is for the sake of evolution. So I hope that we continue moving in the right direction.” The Guardians of the Galaxy star added that the Gascón she worked was not the same person who wrote those inflammatory tweets However, she noted, "I can't attest to what people do in their private time with their private handles.” Saldaña also shared that she was still allowing herself to "experience that joy" over the film's success, including its 13 Oscar nominations, and was "hopeful" the controversy wouldn't overshadow the work she's so proud of. She once again expressed her sadness and disappointment over Gascón's views and denounced "any negative rhetoric of racism and bigotry towards any group of people”. She also refused to confirm Gascón's claim that she still supports her and did not comment directly on whether they had spoken since the scandal. The transgender star issued an apology about her tweets at the time and insisted in an interview with CNN en Español that she is "neither racist nor anything that all these people have tried to make others believe I am”. The film's director Jacques Audiard, who is personally nominated twice, has also distanced himself from his lead actress. In an interview with Deadline, he called Gascón's tweets "inexcusable" and blasted her for "hurting" everyone who worked on Emilia Pérez by "playing the victim" instead of taking accountability for her actions. Instructions: THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT
Keywords: Zoe Saldaña,Karla Sofia Gascon,Defends,First,Response,Actress,Emilia Perez,Controversy,Best Actress,Transgender,Best Supporting Actress,Director,Jacques Audiard,Variety,Deadline,Interview,Awards Circuit Podcast,Campaigns
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