Selena Gomez responded to criticism from Mexican actor and comedian, Eugenio Derbez, who recently described her Spanish speaking performance in the Netflix film "Emilia Pérez" as “indefensible”.
The Jacques Audiard-directed film follows a drug lord who transitions genders to evade authorities, with Gomez portraying Jessi del Monte.
Speaking on the Hablando de Cine podcast, Derbez criticised Gomez’s efforts to speak Spanish in the film.
“Selena is indefensible,” he said in a clip shared on TikTok.
“I watched Emilia Pérez with people, and every time she had a scene, we looked at each other and said, ‘Wow, what is this?’”
Gomez commented to the viral clip, stating, “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".
@elviboreo Eugenio Derbez habla de la actuación de Selena Gómez en la película “Emilia Pérez” #eugenioderbez #selenagomez #emiliaperez #peliculas #cine #hablandodecinecon #fyp #paratiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii #parati #parat #viral #selena #tendencia #farandula #cinefilos #entretenimiento #podcasts #entrevista #hollywood #movies ♬ Mysterious and sad BGM(1120058) - S and N
Derbez later issued a public apology on TikTok, acknowledging his remarks were uncalled for.
“I truly apologise 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," he said.
"I was wrong, and I deeply admire your career and your kind heart. Emilia Pérez deserves to be celebrated, not diminished by my thoughtless remarks. I'm walking away from this with an important lesson learned.”
Gomez had previously revealed her dedication to the role, explaining in an NPR Fresh Air interview that she took Spanish lessons for six months to prepare for the film.
She also discussed losing her fluency in the language after moving to California as a child to pursue her career.
“I got my first job at seven, 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. I wish I just knew a lot more than I do," Gomez said.
"But I think that's why I try to honour 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,” she said.
Mexican pop singer Belinda also came to Gomez’s defence, sharing her support on Instagram.
“I almost never give an opinion, I don’t talk about anything and much less about anyone, but I just watched this video and I find it regrettable that they express themselves with such coldness about the work and effort of a woman as talented and admirable as Selena Gomez,” she wrote.
“I loved the film and her performance. I am aware of all the effort she made. We must be a little more empathetic with the comments that are made, as they can hurt people’s feelings. We are vulnerable, and more care should be taken with words.”
IOL