Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez present 'Emilia Perez' at 2025 SAG Awards without Karla Sofia Gascon

Washington [US], February 24 (ANI): Actors Zoe Saldana and Selena Gomez appeared together at the 2025 SAG Awards without their 'Emilia Perez' costar Karla Sofia Gascon, who has skipped awards shows after facing controversies related to past offensive social media posts.
Saldana and Gomez appeared together during the awards ceremony in Los Angeles to present their movie, 'Emilia Perez', which is up for three awards. Saldana is nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role category, while Gascon is nominated in the Leading Role category; the movie's cast is nominated at the SAG Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, reported People.
"'Emilia Perez' was a magical collaboration where we got to sing and dance and explore the journey of being authentically yourself," Saldana said during their appearance.
"'Emilia Perez is a ride unlike any other -- it's thrilling, it's heart-wrenching, and it's always one fabulously choreographed step ahead of your expectations," Gomez added.
Saldana also shared, "Every once in a while we get a movie that dares to be unpredictable as life itself, and here she is," before a montage of moments from the Netflix genre-bending crime-drama musical played, reported People.
Gascon recently faced backlash after X users discovered tweets from 2020 and 2021 that had controversial views on Muslims, George Floyd and diversity at the Oscars.
This is the reason she has not appeared at award shows in recent weeks despite her numerous nominations for playing the title character in Emilia Perez.
Gascon responded to the backlash, defending her words as misunderstood. "They have created posts as if it were me insulting even my colleagues," she wrote, adding, "Things that I wrote to glorify as if they were criticisms, jokes as if they were reality, words that without the background only seem like hate."
Gascon, who practices Nichiren Buddhism, shared how her faith has been instrumental in her growth.
She acknowledged that while she is not perfect, she continues to strive toward becoming a better person each day.
"Although I have not committed any crimes I was not perfect either, I am not even perfect now," she wrote, adding, "I just try to learn and be a better person every day."
The actress reiterated her commitment to equality and social justice, stressing that she is "not a racist."
She also addressed the broader controversy surrounding her posts, which included remarks on George Floyd and Muslim culture. "Anyone who knows me knows that I am not racist," Gascon wrote, adding, "I have always fought for a more just society and a world of freedom, peace, and love. I will never support wars, religious extremism or the oppression of races and peoples."
Gascon concluded the post with a quote from her mother, offering a message of unconditional love and support.
"I care very little whether you win anything, I just care about you being okay and that no one will harm you," her mother had said.
The actress responded, "Mother, this life has put me here to send a message of hope and love to this world, I will do it."
While the actress has apologized numerous times for those posts, she seemingly vowed to stay out of the public eye for the remainder of awards season in a Feb. 6 post shared to Instagram after Emilia Perez's director Jacques Audiard said in an interview that Gascon was taking a "self destructive approach" to handling the controversy.
"Following Jacques interview that I understand, I decided, for the film, for Jacques, for the cast, for the incredible crew who deserves it, for the beautiful adventure we all had together, to let the work talk for itself," Gascon wrote in that February 6 Instagram post. "Hoping my silence will allow the film to be appreciated for what it is, a beautiful ode to love and difference. I sincerely apologize to everyone who has been hurt along the way, reported People. (ANI)