Karla Sofía Gascón is setting the record straight after her recent comments about fellow Oscar nominee Fernanda Torres went viral.
The Emilia Pérez star made history as the first openly trans person nominated for an acting Oscar, earning a Best Actress nod for her role in the musical crime drama. In an interview with a Brazilian newspaper, Karla spoke about the nomination race, praising Fernanda Torres, who is nominated for I’m Still Here, while also addressing online criticism aimed at her and Emilia Pérez.
“I must tell you: There are wonderful LGBT people but also certainly some that are not,” she said. “We’re just like everyone else — human beings with the same rights and the same duties we all should have.”
Karla had nothing but kind words for Fernanda, calling her a “wonderful woman and an amazing actress who deserves all the recognition in the world.” However, she admitted that she had yet to watch Fernanda’s film.
Still, she made it clear that, to her, the awards race isn’t about competition. “This isn’t a competition. This is simply about people liking one’s work or not. If [Torres] wins [the Oscar], great. If I win, same.”
What caused a stir, however, was Karla’s take on online campaigns targeting her and Emilia Pérez.
“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,” she said. “You don’t need to tear down someone’s work to highlight another’s. I have never, at any point, said anything bad about Fernanda Torres or her movie. However, there are people working with Fernanda Torres tearing me and Emilia Pérez down. That speaks more about their movie than mine.”
The comments quickly went viral, with some questioning whether Karla had violated the Academy’s campaign rules, which prohibit nominees from speaking negatively about fellow contenders. However, since she did not criticise Fernanda or her performance directly, there was no actual violation.
Now, Karla is clarifying what she meant, ensuring that her words weren’t misinterpreted.
“I am an enormous fan of Fernanda Torres, and it has been wonderful getting to know her the past few months,” Karla shared in a statement to Variety. “In my recent comments, I was referencing the toxicity and violent hate speech on social media that I sadly continue to experience. Fernanda has been a wonderful ally, and no one directly associated with her has been anything but supportive and hugely generous.”
With awards season in full swing, Karla is keeping the focus on the bigger picture—celebrating talent, inclusivity, and the power of storytelling.
