Karla Sofía Gascón#2018–2024: Transition, Emilia Perez and controversy
{{Short description|Spanish actress (born 1972)}}
{{pp-extended|small=yes}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Karla Sofía Gascón
| other_names = Carlos Gascón
| image = Karla Sofia Gascon at TIFF 2024 the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = Gascón in 2024
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1972|3|31|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Alcobendas, Spain
| occupation = Actress
| years_active = 1995–present
| spouse = Marisa Gutiérrez
| children = 1
| homepage =
}}
Karla Sofía Gascón (formerly Carlos Gascón; born 31 March 1972) is a Spanish actress. She has developed part of her career in North America, featuring in the comedy film The Noble Family (2013) and the narcoseries El Señor de los Cielos (beginning 2013).
Gascón has gained wide attention for portraying the title character in the musical crime film Emilia Pérez (2024), written and directed by Jacques Audiard. For the role, she jointly won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress with her three female co-stars, becoming the first transgender actress to win the prize. She also won the European Film Award for Best Actress. She was the first openly transgender actress to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.{{cite news |title='Emilia Pérez' star Karla Sofía Gascón is 1st out trans actor nominated for an Oscar |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-pop-culture/emilia-perez-star-karla-sofi-gascon-1st-trans-actor-nominated-oscar-rcna188962 |access-date=23 January 2025 |work=NBC News |agency=The Associated Press |date=23 January 2025}}
Early life and education
Gascón was born 31 March 1972 in Alcobendas, Spain.{{Cite web|url=https://marieclairecolombia.com/karla-sofia-gascon-emilia-perez-quien-es-biografia-historia/|website=Marie Claire|date=10 September 2024|first=Yaritza|last=Acero|title=Karla Sofía Gascón, la primera actriz trans en ganar en el Festival de Cannes}} In her childhood, she playacted with her brother, and, at 16, she decided to pursue an acting career. She earned an acting degree from the ECAM.{{Cite web|url=https://www.lavanguardia.com/gente/20240611/9721634/exitos-karla-sofia-gascon.html|website=La Vanguardia|date=11 June 2024|first=Gabriel|last=Lerman|title=Karla Sofía Gascón, la actriz trans que arrasa: "Se puede conseguir lo que uno quiera en esta vida"}} She worked in London on a BBC series for Spanish-language learning and in Milan voicing puppets for children's shows.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/karla-sofia-gascon-interview-emilia-perez-backlash-oscars-transphobia-1236104208/|website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=11 January 2025|title=How the Unknown Trans Star of 'Emilia Pérez' Became a Controversial Oscar Favorite|first=Julian|last=Sancton}}
Career
=== 2002–2009: Early roles in Spain and move to Mexico ===
Before 2014, Gascón portrayed male characters and was credited under her birth name Juan Carlos Gascón.{{cite news |last=Gomez |first=Leonelys |date=5 January 2025 |title=Así fue el paso de Karla Sofía Gascón por la TV mexicana desde 'Corazón Salvaje' hasta 'El Señor de los Cielos' |url=https://es-us.vida-estilo.yahoo.com/paso-karla-sof%C3%ADa-gasc%C3%B3n-tv-140002787.html |access-date=1 February 2025 |magazine=Enstarz |via=Yahoo!}}{{cite news |last=Gomez |first=Leonelys |date=6 January 2025 |title=How Spanish 'Emilia Pérez' Actress Karla Sofía Gascón Became A TV Star in Mexico |url=https://www.latintimes.com/how-spanish-emilia-perez-actress-karla-sofi-gascon-become-tv-star-mexico-571255 |access-date=1 February 2025 |newspaper=LA Times}} She appeared in Spanish daily soap opera El súper portraying a flight attendant, as well as in such other shows as Calle nueva and El pasado es mañana.{{Cite web |last=Belinchón |first=Gregorio |date=22 May 2024 |title=Karla Sofía Gascón, la actriz española que ha revolucionado Cannes: 'Tengo una espinita clavada con nuestro país'|url=https://elpais.com/cultura/2024-05-22/karla-sofia-gascon-la-actriz-espanola-que-ha-revolucionado-cannes-tengo-una-espinita-clavada-con-nuestro-pais.html |website=El País |language=es}} Early roles also included film appearances in Se buscan fulmontis (1999), Me da igual (2000), Box 507 (2002), and Say I Do (2004).{{Cite web|date=27 May 2024|first=Belén|last=Prieto|url=https://www.elespanol.com/bluper/series/20240527/visto-karla-sofia-gascon-primera-mujer-trans-triunfa-cannes-series-peliculas/858414230_0.html|website=Bluper|via=El Español|title=Dónde hemos visto antes a Karla Sofía Gascón, la primera mujer trans que triunfa en Cannes: sus series y películas}}{{Cite web|date=8 November 2024|title=Quién es Karla Sofía Gascón, la actriz española aspirante a los Oscar tras ser aclamada por 'Emilia Pérez'|via=20minutos.es|url=https://www.20minutos.es/cinemania/noticias/quien-karla-sofia-gascon-actriz-espanola-emilia-perez-aspira-oscar-5651907/|website=Cinemanía}}
Convinced by Mexican filmmaker Julián Pastor, Gascón moved to Mexico in 2009 to continue her acting career, taking on a number of telenovela roles,{{Cite web|url=https://www.vogue.mx/articulo/karla-sofia-gascon-biografia|website=Vogue|title=¿Quién es Karla Sofía Gascón? La actriz de Emilia Pérez que está haciendo historia|first=Miguel|last=Vicencio|date=17 October 2024}}{{Cite web |date=25 May 2024 |title=Karla Sofía Gascón hace historia en Cannes: se convierte en la primera mujer trans en ganar un premio |url=https://www.univision.com/famosos/karla-sofia-gascon-emilia-perez-cannes-mujer-trans |website=Univision |language=es}} starting with the gypsy Branko in Corazón salvaje.{{Cite web|url=https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/espectaculos/karla-sofia-las-personas-trans-no-somos-un-chiste/|website=El Universal|first=Armando|last=Pereda Maldonado|date=26 September 2009|title=Karla Sofía: "Las personas trans no somos un chiste"}} She made a one-time return to the Spanish film industry to star alongside {{ill|Tony Isbert|es}} in El cura y el veneno.{{Cite web|url=https://www.elperiodico.cat/ca/oci-i-cultura/20240528/gran-reina-sorprenent-musical-narcotrans-102995458|website=El Periódico de Catalunya|publisher=Prensa Ibérica|date=28 May 2024|first=Quim|last=Casas|title=La gran reina del sorprenent musical narcotrans de Cannes}} In the Mexican box-office hit The Noble Family (2013), she played the supporting role of Peter Pintado, the gold-digging boyfriend of Karla Souza's character Bárbara Noble, who poses as a Spaniard but is actually from Puebla.{{cite news |url=https://www.telemundo.com/entretenimiento/latinx-now-espanol/actor-transgenero-de-nosotros-los-nobles-sigue-viviendo-con-su-esposa-tmna3570286 |title=Actor transgénero de "Nosotros los Nobles" sigue viviendo con su esposa |language=Spanish |work=Telemundo |date=31 October 2019 |accessdate=12 October 2024}}{{Cite web|url=https://los40.com.mx/2025/01/24/karla-sofia-gascon-antes-de-ser-mujer-peliculas-y-programas-donde-participo-ademas-de-nosotros-los-nobles/|website=Los 40|date=24 January 2025|title=Así fue el pasado de Karla Sofía Gascón: Películas y programas donde participó además de "Nosotros los Nobles"}} In 2014, she appeared in El Señor de los Cielos as the "ruthless" Spaniard Iñaki Izarrieta, an associate of Aurelio Casillas.{{Cite web|url=https://www.latintimes.com/how-spanish-emilia-perez-actress-karla-sofi-gascon-become-tv-star-mexico-571255|website=The Latin Times|first=Leonelys|last=Gomez|title=How Spanish 'Emilia Pérez' Actress Karla Sofía Gascón Become A TV Star in Mexico|date=6 January 2025}}
= 2018–2024: Transition, ''Emilia Pérez'' and fallout =
File:Karla Sofía Gascón in 2018 (2).jpg
In 2018, having completed most of her gender transition, Gascón published a magical realist memoir, {{lang|es|Karsia, Una historia extraordinaria}} (Karsia: an Extraordinary Story) under the name Carlos Gascón. It doubled as a public announcement of her new identity as Karla Sofía Gascón.{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.es/play/cine/karla-sofia-gascon-actriz-espanola-premiada-cannes-20240525210326-nt.html|website=ABC|date=25 May 2024|title=Quién es Karla Sofía Gascón, la actriz española premiada en Cannes: su trayectoria, su transición y madre de una niña}}
She portrayed Lourdes Buendía in the teen drama series Rebelde (2022).{{Cite web|url=https://www.univision.com/famosos/sergio-mayer-mori-rebelde-netflix-andrea-chaparro-reacciona-comentarios|website=Univision|date=13 January 2022|title="Se equivocó": hija de Omar Chaparro reacciona a comentarios de Sergio Mayer Mori a 'Rebelde'}} In 2024, she starred in Jacques Audiard's musical crime film Emilia Pérez, which premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. In it, she portrays a powerful cartel leader who is married with children. The character fakes her death, medically transitions from male to female, and assumes a new life as Emilia Pérez.{{Cite web|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/emilia-perez-review-selena-gomez-zoe-saldana-jacques-audiard/|website=Slant|title='Emilia Pérez' Review: Jacques Audiard's Melo-Noir Musical Makes It Up As It Goes Along|first= Kyle |last=Turner|date=5 October 2024}}
Gascón won the festival's Best Actress prize, shared jointly with her three female costars Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, and Zoe Saldaña. Gascón is the first openly trans actor to win a major prize at Cannes.{{Cite web |date=25 May 2024 |title=Sean Baker's "Anora" wins Palme d'Or, the Cannes Film Festival's top honor |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sean-bakers-anora-palme-dor-cannes-film-festival-top-honor/ |website=CBS News |quote=Gascón, who accepted the award, is the first trans actor to win a major prize at Cannes.}} Later in the year, she became a Chevalière of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.{{Cite web |url=https://www.vanityfair.fr/article/selena-gomez-et-les-acteurs-de-emilia-perez-ont-ete-faits-chevaliers-de-lordre-des-arts-et-des-lettres|website=Vanity Fair|date=4 October 2024|first=Valentine|last=Servant-Uglu|title=Selena Gomez et les acteurs de Emilia Perez ont été faits Chevaliers de l'Ordre des arts et des lettres}} In December 2024, she was reported to have signed on to star as Aunt Encarna in Las malas, an adaptation of Camila Sosa Villada's Bad Girls to be directed by Armando Bó.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/emilia-perez-breakout-karla-sofia-gascon-las-malas-1236089573/|website=The Hollywood Reporter|title='Emilia Pérez' Breakout Karla Sofía Gascón to Star in Trans Fairy Tale 'Las Malas' (Exclusive)|date=18 December 2024|first=Borys|last=Kit}}
In January 2025, after her Academy Award for Best Actress nomination for Emilia Pérez, a series of tweets Gascón made between 2019 and 2021 resurfaced. They were identified as containing bigoted speech against several communities,{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/emilia-perez-star-racist-tweets_n_679d07d5e4b0e238e448778c|website=HuffPost|date=31 January 2025|title='Emilia Pérez' Star Apologizes After A Slew Of Her Old Racist Tweets Resurface|first=Elyse|last=Wanshel|quote=Her posts, some of them from as early as 2018, included racist remarks about Black people and Muslims, and a comment in defense of Adolf Hitler, who Gascón said “simply had his opinion of the Jews.”|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250205064207/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/emilia-perez-star-racist-tweets_n_679d07d5e4b0e238e448778c|archive-date=5 February 2025|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://slate.com/culture/2025/01/emilia-perez-movie-oscar-nominations-karla-sofia-gascon-tweets-jacques-audiard.html|website=Slate|date=31 January 2025|title=The Emilia Pérez Controversies Just Keep Piling Up|first=Nadira|last=Goffe|quote=After the comments about Torres were put to bed on Wednesday, things ramped up the very next day when journalist Sarah Hagi alerted the world about Gascón’s history of uncouth tweets in a fairly lengthy X thread of screenshots. Many of the tweets—posted in Spanish, largely from 2020–2021 (though some are more recent)—are too disparaging and offensive to reprint here, but they include sentiments that run the gamut from Islamophobic, xenophobic, and racist to antisemitic.|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250201191134/https://slate.com/culture/2025/01/emilia-perez-movie-oscar-nominations-karla-sofia-gascon-tweets-jacques-audiard.html|archive-date=1 February 2025|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2025/01/31/nx-s1-5282222/oscar-nominated-actress-karla-sofia-gascon-apologizes-for-old-social-media-posts|website=npr.org|date=31 January 2025|title=Oscar-nominated actress Karla Sofía Gascón apologizes for old social media posts|first=Dhanika|last=Pineda}}
- {{Cite web |last=Chatterjee |first=Nandika |date=January 30, 2025 |title=Oscar Favorite 'Emilia Pérez' Star's Jaw-Dropping Tweets on Race and Islam Suddenly Surface |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/emilia-perez-star-karla-sofia-gascon-under-fire-over-controversial-tweet/ |access-date=January 30, 2025 |website=The Daily Beast |language=en}}
- {{Cite web |last=Herman |first=Alison |date=January 30, 2025 |title=Karla Sofía Gascón's Racist Tweets and the Cautionary Tale of 'Emilia Pérez' |url=https://variety.com/2025/awards/news/karla-sofia-gascon-offensive-tweets-emilia-perez-1236291811/ |access-date=January 30, 2025 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}
- {{Cite news |last=Lee |first=Benjamin |date=January 30, 2025 |title=Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón faces backlash over offensive tweets |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jan/30/emilia-perez-karla-sofia-gascon-inflammatory-tweets |access-date=January 30, 2025 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} including one calling Islam a "hotbed of infection for humanity", ones with Catalanophobic content,{{Cite web|url=https://www.elperiodico.com/es/ocio-y-cultura/20250201/catalanofobia-antiguos-tuits-karla-sofia-gascon-113895920|website=El Periódico de Catalunya|date=1 February 2025|title=Los antiguos tuits de Karla Sofía Gascón que también delatan catalanofobia en la aspirante al Oscar a Mejor Actriz|language=es|access-date=1 February 2025}} and one wondering whether the Oscars had become an "Afro-Korean festival", a "Black Lives Matter demonstration", or International Women's Day.{{Cite web |last=Smart |first=Jack |date=January 30, 2025 |title=Oscar Nominee Karla Sofía Gascón Faces Backlash over Resurfaced Controversial Social Media Posts |url=https://people.com/karla-sofia-gascon-backlash-resurfaced-social-media-posts-8783481 |access-date=January 30, 2025 |website=People |language=en-US}} Gascón deleted the tweets and apologized,{{Cite web |last=Stephan |first=Katcy |date=January 30, 2025 |title='Emilia Pérez' Star Karla Sofía Gascón Apologizes for Racist, Offensive Tweets: 'I Am Deeply Sorry to Those I Have Caused Pain' |url=https://variety.com/2025/film/news/karla-sofia-gascon-apologizes-tweets-backlash-emilia-perez-1236291583/ |access-date=January 30, 2025 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Lindsay |first=Benjamin |date=January 30, 2025 |title=Karla Sofía Gascón Apologizes for Resurfaced Racist Tweets That 'Have Caused Hurt': 'I Know This Suffering All Too Well' |url=https://www.thewrap.com/karla-sofia-gascon-apologizes-for-resurfaced-racist-tweets/ |access-date=January 30, 2025 |website=TheWrap |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Fleming|first=Mike, Jr.|date=January 30, 2025 |title=Embattled Over Caustic Tweets, 'Emilia Pérez' Star Karla Sofía Gascón Releases Statement Of Apology |url=https://deadline.com/2025/01/emilia-perez-karla-sofia-gascon-apologizes-social-media-posts-1236273835/ |access-date=January 30, 2025 |website=Deadline Hollywood |language=en-US}} then deactivated her X account the next day.{{cite web|url=https://people.com/emilia-perez-oscar-nominee-karla-sofia-gascon-deletes-x-twitter-account-amid-controversy-8783814|title=Emilia Pérez Oscar Nominee Karla Sofía Gascón Deletes Her X/Twitter Account After Apologizing for Controversial Posts|website=People|last=Speakman|first=Kimberlee|date=31 January 2025|access-date=31 January 2025|language=en}} In February 2025 she was dropped from promotional activities for Emilia Pérez, including award shows (Premios Goya), and her book's publication was canceled.{{cite news |url=https://www.ondacero.es/noticias/sociedad/auge-caida-karla-sofia-gascon-salir-clase-oscar-ahi-ser-cancelada_2025020667a49bfd797cbb000142c391.html |title=Auge y caída de Karla Sofía Gascón: de 'Al salir de clase' a los Oscar y de ahí a ser cancelada |first=Esther |last=García Amaro |date=6 February 2025 |access-date=6 February 2025 |work=Onda Cero |language=es}}{{cite news |url=https://www.diezminutos.es/teleprograma/programas-tv/a63685649/karla-sofia-gascon-polemica-goya-vetada/ |title=Karla Sofía Gascón sufre las consecuencias de sus mensajes en redes: es vetada en los Premios Goya y se cancela la publicación de su novela |first=Ignacio |last=Herruzo Martínez |date=6 February 2025 |access-date=6 February 2025 |magazine=Diez Minutos |language=es}} Gascón described herself as a victim of cancel culture.
Personal life
Gascón considers herself "Mexican by adoption", having lived and worked in Mexico for many years.{{Cite web |last=Navarro |first=Juan Manuel |date=24 May 2024 |title=Karla Sofia Gascon in Cannes on Being Trans: 'I'm the Same Person' |url=https://goldenglobes.com/articles/karla-sofia-gascon-in-cannes-on-being-trans-im-the-same-person/ |website=Golden Globe Awards}} She is a Nichiren Buddhist.{{cite news|last=Barreto|first=Ramón|date=17 October 2024|url=https://www.vogue.mx/articulo/karla-sofia-gascon-portada-vogue-noviembre-2024|title=Karla Sofía Gascón en la portada de Vogue: "Quiero trabajar para que la sociedad entienda que hay personas diversas, que todas las historias son válidas y que nadie puede decirnos qué hacer con nuestros cuerpos"|work=Vogue|language=es|access-date=6 January 2025}} As of 2025, she lives in Alcobendas, Spain, her hometown.
Gascón is married to Marisa Gutiérrez, whom she met at age 19 at a nightclub in her hometown. They have a daughter, born in 2011.{{Cite web |last=Aricó |first=Giacomo |date=25 May 2024 |title=Karla Sofía Gascón mejor actriz en el Festival de Cannes 2024: 'Dedico el premio a todas las personas trans que sufren' |url=https://www.vogue.mx/articulo/karla-sofia-gascon-gana-como-mejor-actriz-en-cannes-2024 |website=Vogue México|language=es}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.vanitatis.elconfidencial.com/famosos/2024-11-08/karla-sofia-gaston-mujer-hija-boda-pablo-motos_3999795/|website=Vanitatis|via=El Confidencial|first=Alexandra|last=Benito|date=8 November 2024|title=El lado más personal de Karla Sofía Gascón: de su mujer Marisa a su hija y su respuesta tras la entrevista de Pablo Motos}}