Karla Sofía Gascón just made her first appearance during awards season, which comes after her bombshell tweet scandal.
On Friday, February 28, the Emilia Pérez star attended the 50th annual César Awards in Paris, France, for the film's nominations in 12 categories, of which it ended up winning seven. This appearance came as a shock to many since Gascón has skipped multiple high-profile plans this awards season due to controversy.
According to reports from Variety, the actress skipped over the press line, walking the carpet while being protected by two men who seemed to be security. Her appearance comes in the wake of a huge social media controversy surrounding the star after a slew of unsavory tweets resurfaced.
During the Cesar Awards, French actor Jean-Pascal Zadi--who hosted the ceremony--joked in his opening speech that Emilia Perez was “nominated for best director, best film, best actress and best tweet,” which sparked a mixture of shock and laugher in the crowd, including on director Jacques Audiard and Zoe Saldana’s faces.
The controversy began when social media sleuths found and posted her old tweets, which were posted before she landed her role in Emilia Pérez and dated as far back as 2016 up until just a couple of years ago. In her tweets, Gascón denigrated Islam, called George Floyd a "drug addict and a hustler" and even called her co-star Selena Gomez a "rich rat" not long before working with her on Emilia Pérez.
Amid these tweets being resurfaced, Gascón deactivated the account before defending herself in multiple statements and interviews. Ultimately, however, she apologized and pledged silence in an Instagram post in early February.
"As someone in a marginalized community, I know this suffering all too well and I am deeply sorry to those I have caused pain," she said in a statement released via Netflix. "All my life I have fought for a better world. I believe light will always triumph over darkness."
Emilia Pérez has received 13 nominations for the upcoming 97th Academy Awards, which Gascón previously called "an ugly, ugly gala" in one of her resurfaced tweets. The film is up for Best Picture at the show.
Despite her seemingly trying to lay low, an insider close to the actress told the outlet that she is planning to attend the Oscars on Sunday, though it is unclear if she will walk the red carpet with the rest of the cast. Gascón is nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards, making her the first openly transgender star to be nominated in the category.