Selena Gomez, at the age of 32, has found herself at the center of a significant debate regarding her performance in the acclaimed musical drama Emilia Pérez. The Mexico-born actor Eugenio Derbez, 63, expressed strong criticism, calling her performance "indefensible" due to her non-fluent Spanish speaking ability. However, Gomez responded with an apology and an explanation of her efforts in the comment section of a TikTok post.

Selena Gomez's Spanish-Language Role Sparks Controversy

Pre-Award Acclaim and Challenges

Emilia Pérez received early acclaim during the awards season upon its Netflix debut in November. It was named one of American Film Institute's top 10 films of the year and won three awards at the Cannes Film Festival, including a best actress nod for Gomez along with her costars. But the language barrier became a prominent issue. Host Gaby Meza of the podcast Hablando de Cine called Gomez "very talented" but noted her lack of fluency in Spanish affected her performance. Spanish is not her primary, secondary, or even fifth language, Meza argued, which led to a perceived lack of nuance in her acting.Derbez agreed, expressing his disbelief that the movie had received such award buzz. He believed it was because the audience didn't speak Spanish and that if they watched a Russian or German film subtitled in Spanish, they would be more intrigued. He also criticized the French director Jacques Audiard for not speaking the language.

Gomez's Preparation and Perspective

In November, Gomez revealed that she spent six months taking Spanish lessons to prepare for the role. She explained that after moving to California at a young age to pursue an entertainment career, she lost the ability to speak Spanish fluently. "I got my first job at 7, and most of my jobs from that point on were English. And I just lost [my Spanish]. That's kind of the case for a lot of people, especially Mexican American people," she said on NPR's Fresh Air.She continued, "I wish I just knew a lot more than I do. But I think that's why I try to honor my culture as much as possible — from releasing an album in Spanish to wanting to pursue this movie. And I don't think it'll be the last thing I do in Spanish."

Aftermath and Lessons Learned

Derbez later responded to Gomez with an apology on TikTok. He wrote, "I truly apologize for my careless comments — they are indefensible and go against everything I stand for. As Latinos, we should always support one another. There's no excuse. I was wrong, and I deeply admire your career and your kind heart." He emphasized that Emilia Pérez deserves to be celebrated and not diminished by his thoughtless remarks.This incident has sparked a wide-ranging discussion about the importance of language proficiency in acting and the support within the Latino community. It has also highlighted Gomez's determination to honor her culture through her work.