Selena Gomez: “Part of the Magic Has Faded” After ‘Emilia Pérez’ Controversy, But She Has No Regrets: “I’d Make This Film Over and Over Again”

Selena Gomez reflects on the Emilia Pérez controversy, admitting that “part of the magic has faded,” but she remains proud.

Selena Gomez spoke candidly about the controversy surrounding Emilia Pérez, the Oscar-nominated film in which she stars, during the Santa Barbara Film Festival, where she was honoured with the Virtuosos Award.

The film, which leads the nominations at this year’s Academy Awards, has faced a crisis after resurfaced tweets from its lead actress, Karla Sofía Gascón, containing controversial comments about the Muslim community, George Floyd, and diversity at awards shows. As a result, Netflix has distanced itself from the actress and stopped funding her awards season campaign.

“Part of the magic has faded,” Gomez admitted. “But I choose to remain proud of what I did, and I can only be grateful. I have no regrets, and I’d make this film over and over again if I could.”

Despite being mentioned in a tweet where Gascón apparently referred to her as a “rich rat,” the Spanish actress has denied being the author of that post.

Gomez, who received BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations but not an Oscar nod, said this experience has reaffirmed her desire to continue in film. “I don’t know… after this, it’ll be hard for me to go back to music,” she confessed.