Zoe Saldana says sorry for "Emilia Perez" being hurtful to Mexicans

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Zoe Saldana says sorry for "Emilia Perez" being hurtful to Mexicans

Writer: Heidi Hsia

Zoe Saldana: We came from a place of love

5 Mar - Zoe Saldana has recently expressed her apology over her movie "Emilia Perez" causing offense to the Mexicans.

The actress, who spoke to journalists following her Best Supporting Actress win at the Academy Awards, was informed by a Mexican journalist that the movie was very hurtful to Mexican people by its depiction of the country.

In response, Saldana stated, "First of all, I'm very, very sorry that you and so many Mexicans felt offended, that was never our intention, we came from a place of love and I stand by that."

She also disagreed with the notion that the movie was about Mexico despite its lead Karla Sofia Gascon being Mexican, saying, "For me, the heart of this movie was not Mexico; we weren't making a film about a country, we were making a film about four women, and these women could have been Russian, could have been Dominican, could have been Black from Detroit, could have been from Israel, could have been from Gaza, and these women were still very universal women, but are struggling every day, they're trying to survive systemic oppression and trying to find their most authentic voices. So, I will stand by that."

At the same time, the actress said that she is open to sit down with the people of Mexico and have a conversation on how the movie could have been done better.

Zoe Saldana won Best Supporting Actress for "Emilia Perez"

It is noted that Mexican audience had blasted the movie since the beginning of the awards circuit, saying that the film takes light the issue of the drug war in the country as well as cartel killings. It is noted that there had been nearly 500,000 deaths and 100,000 missing cases since 2006 related to cartel killings.

Back when the film won multiple awards at the Golden Globes, Mexican writer Hector Guillen posted his disappointment on X, saying, "We are still immersed in the violence in some areas. You are taking one of the most difficult topics in the country, but it's not only any film, it's an opera. It's a musical. So for us and many activists, it's like you are playing with one of the biggest wars in the country since the Revolution [in the early 20th Century]."

"Part of the plot is about searching mothers of the disappeared [searching for their children]: one of the most vulnerable groups in Mexico. And there were zero words in the four Golden Globe acceptance speeches to the victims," he added.