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Actress Selena Gomez has defended herself against criticism from fellow actor Eugenio Derbez regarding her performance in the musical crime comedy film ‘Emilia Perez.’
Selena Gomez, known for her role in “Wizards of Waverly Place” and “Only Murders in the Building”, recently faced backlash from actor Eugenio Derbez for her portrayal in the French-produced film “Emilia Perez.” Derbez, a guest on the “Hablando de Cine” podcast, criticized Gomez’s Spanish-speaking performance, claiming it lacked nuance because she is not fluent in the language.
“Selena is indefensible,” Derbez commented. “I [watched the film] with people, and every time she had a scene, we looked at each other to say to each other, ‘Wow, what is this?’ ”
In response, the podcast host, Gaby Meza, acknowledged Gomez’s talent but agreed with Derbez’s criticism of her Spanish-speaking performance. The host emphasized that language fluency is crucial for conveying emotional depth and nuance in acting.
Amid Oscar buzz surrounding the movie, Meza said, “I feel like she doesn’t know what she’s saying. If she doesn’t know what she’s saying, she can’t give her acting any nuance.” Despite Gomez’s Mexican roots, the podcaster noted that “Spanish is not her main language.”
Derbez expressed his disbelief that no one had questioned Gomez’s performance and felt baffled by award win for her role in the movie. “I feel like they don’t speak Spanish,” Derbez explained. “If you watch a Russian film or a German film, that is subtitled to Spanish and you see someone [speaking in the original language], you say, ‘Oh, look. OK! Interesting.’ ”
He also criticized director Jacques Audiard for not speaking Spanish or English and questioned his understanding of the Mexican culture depicted in the film. “I told myself, ‘How weird that the director doesn’t speak English or Spanish and the movie is in Spanish and English, and it takes place in Mexico and you don’t understand the culture.’ It’s like if I made a film in Russian without knowing the culture or speaking Russian and talk in French,” he mused.
Gomez responded to Derbez’s comments on social media, stating that she “understands where he is coming from.” She added, “I’m sorry I did the best I could with the time I was given. Doesn’t take away from how much work and heart I put into this movie.”
