Selena Gomez Defends Herself After Eugenio Derbez Criticizes Her Spanish in Emilia Pérez: 'Did the Best I Could'

Selena Gomez stands behind her performance in Emilia Perez.

The singer and actress, 32, responded to the criticism she received from Eugenio Derbez about her role in the acclaimed Spanish-language musical drama.

In a clip of an upcoming episode of Gaby Meza’s podcast Hablando de Cineshared on TikTok, the 63-year-old Mexican-born actor called Gomez’s performance “unjustified” and said he and those he watched the film with were in disbelief at her portrayal, given that she is not fluent in Spanish.

Selena Gomez as Jessi in ‘Emilia Pérez’.

Shanna Besson/Pathé

“I understand where you’re coming from,” he said Just the murders in the building the star wrote in the comments section of a TikTok post, addressing the criticism. “I’m sorry I did the best I could with the time I was given. That doesn’t diminish how much work and heart I put into this film.”

Emilia Perez received early awards season recognition amid its Netflix debut in November. The film was named one of the 10 best films of the year by the American Film Institute and won three Cannes Film Festival wins after its world premiere — including a Best Actress nod for Gomez, alongside actors Carla Sofía Gascón, Adriana Paz and Zoe Saldaña.

Selena Gomez comment on TikTok video.

tiktok

In the podcast, host Meza called Gomez “very talented,” but noted that she wasn’t impressed with her performance due to the language barrier. “Spanish is not her primary, secondary, or fifth language,” she said, trans The Hollywood Reporter. “And that’s why I feel like she doesn’t know what she’s saying, and if she doesn’t know what she’s saying, she can’t give her acting any nuance.”

Derbez agreed and added, “I’m glad you’re saying that because I was saying, ‘I can’t believe nobody’s talking about this?’ ”

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Derbez said he doesn’t agree with the buzz about the awards show that Gomez and the film have sparked, and believes it was only received well because the audience doesn’t speak Spanish.

“I feel like they don’t speak Spanish,” he said of the crowd. “If you’re watching a Russian movie or a German movie that’s subtitled in Spanish and you see someone [speaking in the original language]you say, ‘Oh, look. All right. Very interesting.’ ”

Eugenio Derbez. David Becker/Getty Images

Furthermore, Code the actor criticized the film’s French director, Jacques Audiard, for also not speaking the language.

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“I liked the movie except for Selena [scenes] jumps out at you because there are things that can be controlled,” he said. “But I was like, ‘How weird, because if the director doesn’t speak English or Spanish, and the movie is in Spanish and English, and it’s set in Mexico and you don’t you understand the culture”. It’s like if I wanted to make a film in Russian without knowing the culture or Russian and speaking French.”

Derbez later responded to Gomez, posting a statement on TikTok. He wrote: “I am truly sorry for my careless comments — they are indefensible and against everything I stand for. As Latinos, we should always support each other. No apologies. I was wrong and I deeply admire your career and your kind heart.”

He continued: “Emilia Pérez deserves to be celebrated and not be diminished by my ill-advised remarks. I walk away from this with an important lesson learned.”

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In November, Gomez revealed that she spent six months taking Spanish lessons to prepare for the role because she lost her fluency in the language after moving to California at a young age to pursue a career as an entertainer.

“I got my first job when I was 7, and most of my jobs from that point on were in English,” she told NPR Fresh air. “And I just lost [my Spanish]. That’s kind of the case for a lot of people, especially Mexican Americans.”

She continued: “I wish I knew a lot more than I do. But I think that’s why I’m trying to respect my culture as much as possible – from releasing an album in Spanish to wanting to continue with this movie. And I don’t think it’s going to be the last thing I do is in Spanish.”

Emilia Perez follows high-powered lawyer Rita (Saldaña), who helps a Mexican cartel leader (Gascón) fake their deaths and transform into a woman — later known as Emilia. In it, Gomez plays Emilia’s wife.

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Source: HIS Education