'Emilia Pérez' Director Thanks Karla Sofía Gascón at BAFTAs Amid Rift

Director Jacques Audiard surprised the audience at Sunday's 2025 BAFTA Awards by thanking his "Emilia Pérez" star Karla Sofía Gascón less than two weeks after publicly raking her over the coals for her past racist remarks on social media.

With the polarizing film winning the BAFTA for Film Not in the English Language, Variety reports Audiard concluded his acceptance speech with praise for the embattled actress — and a kiss.

“Above all, I would like to thank all the wonderful artists who brought this film to life and who are here with us tonight,” he said via interpreter. “My dear Zoe [Saldaña], my dear Selena [Gomez], Giorgini, Paul, Juliet, Camille, Clément [Ducol], Julia [Floch-Carbonel], and your team, but also you, my dear Sofía, that I kiss. I’m deeply proud of what we achieved together. Long live ‘Emilia Pérez’!”

“Emilia Pérez” blew away many critics while dividing audiences, earning 13 Academy Award nominations — more than any other film this year — but its Oscar campaign has been underway without Gascón, who once used social media to call her co-star Selena Gomez a "rich rat," George Floyd a "hustler and drug dealer," and to criticize Muslims.

Audiard, who has been criticized himself for comments he made about Spanish being “the language of modest countries,” strongly rebuked his star in an interview with Deadline on February 5, stating, “I haven’t spoken to her, and I don’t want to. She is in a self-destructive approach that I can’t interfere in, and I really don’t understand why she’s continuing. Why is she harming herself? Why? I don’t understand it, and what I don’t understand about this too is why she’s harming people who were very close to her. I’m thinking in this thing of how hurting others, of how she’s hurting the crew and all these people who worked so incredibly hard on this film. I’m thinking of myself, I’m thinking of Zoe and Selena. I just don’t understand why she’s continuing to harm us.”

Gascón has made history as the first out trans Oscar nominee in any acting category. She responded to a whirlwind of criticism in a series of interviews before going radio silent. She has skipped every major award show — and there is speculation as to whether she will attend the Oscars, though Gascón told CNN she will not withdraw from Oscar contention.

Speaking in Spanish on CNN two weeks ago, Karla defended herself, insisting, “I am neither racist nor anything that all these people have tried to make others believe I am.”

“Extra” spoke with Variety’s Marc Malkin, who broke down the drama, saying, “Things are just in complete implosion mode at Netflix when it comes to ‘Emilia Pérez.’ Netflix has even taken Karla’s image off of posters and campaign ads.”

It has been a remarkable turn of events for an actor who plays the title character in the film, but Audiard's warm remarks at the BAFTAs may signal a reconciliation between the director and his leading lady.