Spanish actor Carla Sofia Gascon, the first transgender performer to be nominated for the Academy Award (Oscar) for best actress this year, apologized for past derogatory comments about domestic actor Youn Yuh-jung, which sparked allegations of racism. However, she stated that she will not withdraw from the Oscar nomination.
According to foreign media including CNN on Feb. 2 (local time), Gascon expressed, "I sincerely apologize to anyone who felt offended" regarding the resurfacing of the racism controversy stemming from a post he made on social media (SNS) in the past.
She asserted, "I have not committed any crimes or harmed anyone, so I cannot withdraw from the Oscar nomination," and added, "I am not a racist, nor have I ever tried to make others believe that I am."
The controversy began when a freelance journalist captured and shared posts that Gascon had made on Twitter (now X) in the past. In the captured posts, Gascon wrote in 2021, "The Oscars are increasingly becoming like an independent film awards ceremony," and questioned, "I don't know if I am watching the Africa-Korea festival or the Black Lives Matter demonstration."
At the time of the Oscars, domestic actor Youn Yuh-jung won the best supporting actress award for the film "Minari," and Black actor Daniel Kaluuya won the best supporting actor award for "Judas and the Black Messiah." This led to a racism controversy, but Gascon told CNN, "I do not recall."
Meanwhile, Gascon, who grants in the Netflix film "Emilia Perez," has been nominated for best actress at the Oscars, which will be held on March 2. The story depicts a leader of a drug cartel in Mexico who transforms into a woman in secret to evade law enforcement, starting a new chapter in her life.
This is the first time in Academy history that a transgender performer has been nominated for best actress. She shared the best actress award last year at the Cannes Film Festival with fellow cast members Adrianna Paz, Selena Gomez, and Zoe Saldana for this film.