Washington [US], December 8: Selena Gomez has responded to criticism of her performance in Emilia Perez, defending her portrayal of Jessi del Monte in the musical crime comedy after actor Eugenio Derbez criticized her performance, particularly her struggle with speaking Spanish for the role.
In a recent episode of the Hablando de Cine podcast, Derbez described Gomez’s performance as “indefensible,” focusing on her difficulty with speaking Spanish. In Emilia Perez, Gomez plays Jessi, a character in a bilingual film that switches between Spanish and English. While Gomez is not fluent in Spanish, she embraced the challenge of speaking the language, a choice that Derbez found problematic.
“Selena is indefensible,” Derbez said during the podcast, recalling watching the film with others and reacting to her scenes with confusion. “Every time she had a scene, we looked at each other and said, ‘Wow, what is this?'”
Podcast host Gaby Meza acknowledged Gomez’s acting talent, citing her nominations for Only Murders in the Building. However, Meza noted that since Spanish is not Gomez’s first language, the lack of nuance in her performance was evident. “If she doesn’t know what she’s saying, she can’t give her acting any nuance,” Meza explained.
Derbez, who starred in the Oscar-winning CODA, expressed surprise that Gomez’s performance had not been more heavily criticized, especially given her recognition in award circuits. He speculated that audiences might overlook her acting shortcomings because they rely on subtitles instead of understanding the language directly. “I feel like they don’t speak Spanish,” Derbez remarked. He further explained that audiences might be less discerning when watching films in foreign languages with subtitles.
Derbez also pointed out that the director of Emilia Perez, Jacques Audiard, does not speak Spanish or English, which he believed could have contributed to the film’s disconnection from its Mexican setting and culture. “How funny that a director… I liked the film, aside from the Selena [scenes] that jump at you, because it has salvageable things,” Derbez said, drawing a comparison to making a film in Russian without understanding the language or culture.
After a clip of the podcast was shared on TikTok, Gomez responded directly to the criticism. In a post, she 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.”
Emilia Perez is a musical crime drama written and directed by Jacques Audiard, starring Zoe Saldana, Adriana Paz, Mark Ivanir, and Edgar Ramirez. The story follows a cartel leader who enlists a lawyer to help her disappear and transition into a woman.