Emilia Perez, touted as one of the year’s most eagerly awaited films, premiered on Netflix on November 13.
This Spanish-language movie features a star-studded lineup including Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldana, and Édgar Ramírez.
Gomez, who has Mexican roots, can converse in Spanish, though she is not fluent.
Having initially spoken the language while growing up, Gomez fell out of practice after relocating to California as a child.
Despite her lack of fluency, Gomez expressed immense gratitude that the film’s director, Jacques Audiard, entrusted her with the role. She remarked that it ‘meant the world to [her]’.
“I had coaches and we communicated every day in Spanish,” she shared with extratv.
“My dad was so proud. He was like ‘you’re texting me mija’, and I’m like ‘yeah, I’m texting you in Spanish’.”
Despite her efforts to enhance her Spanish proficiency for Emilia Perez, some critiques emerged, particularly from Koda actor Eugenio Derbez.
On the Hablando de Cine podcast, the Mexican actor commented on Gomez’s performance: “Selena is indefensible. I [watched the movie] with people, and every time she had a scene, we looked at each other to say to each other, ‘Wow, what is this?’”
Podcast host Gaby Meza acknowledged Gomez as a ‘very talented actress’ but noted that her Spanish wasn’t particularly strong.
“Spanish is not her main language, not her secondary or fifth language,” she explained, according to Deadline.
“And that’s why 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.”
Following their comments, Gomez has issued a reply.
Responding to a TikTok video of the interview, Gomez wrote: “I understand where you are coming from..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.”
This isn’t the only critique aimed at Gomez’s performance in Emilia Perez; some viewers pointed out a ‘crucial mistake’ she made in the film.
Gomez reportedly had a moment reminiscent of The Office, where she looked directly at the camera, leading some to believe she unintentionally ‘broke the fourth wall’.
Nonetheless, another viewer defended her action, suggesting: “I am thinking this was intentional, because multiple characters do this throughout the movie.”