Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofia Gascón will not be joining the Academy, unlike virtually every other Best Actress nominee before her. The Wrap reported Thursday that Gascón, a trans actress and the star of Netflix’s Best Picture nominee, was not on the list of over 500 people the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences invited to join its ranks. The move certainly sends a message, as nominees are automatically qualified for membership. In Gascón’s case, in the wake of the slew of racist and offensive posts unearthed from her Twitter/X page pre-fame, that qualification was not met with an invitation. The site notes that recent Oscar nominees Lily Gladstone, Sandra Hüller, Andra Day, Cynthia Erivo, Lady Gaga, Ruth Negga, and Brie Larson immediately received invites after they were nominated. The only other exception besides Gascón was Roma star Yalitza Aparicio, but her invite was merely delayed, as she was invited to join the Academy the year after her nomination. The controversy around Gascón’s online posts was only exacerbated after she appeared defiant about the backlash in TV interviews. The debacle seemed to tank her chances of winning Best Actress, as she was widely considered to be the frontrunner for her performance in the Spanish-language musical. Mikey Madison took home the award instead, and will join Ariana Grande, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, and more in the Academy this year.
Read it at The Wrap
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