Selena Gomez has hit back at Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez, after he criticised her performance in Spanish in the recent film Emilia Pérez.
The Only Murders In The Building star won mostly positive reviews for her performance in the Netflix musical, and has even been tipped for nominations at awards season next year, following a win at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
However, one person who was seemingly unimpressed was Eugenio, the star of films like Coda and How To Be A Latin Lover, as well as its spin-off Acapulco.
On the Spanish-language podcast Hablando De Cine, The Hollywood Reporter quoted him as saying: “Selena is indefensible. I was [watching the movie] with people, and every time a scene came [with her in it], we looked at each other to say, ‘Wow, what is this?’.”
When the host pointed out that Spanish is not Selena’s first language, and “that’s why I feel she doesn’t know what she is saying”, meaning her performance lacked “nuance”, Eugenio responded: “I’m glad you’re saying that because I was saying, ‘I can’t believe no one is talking about it?’.”
In the comments of a widely-shared TikTok post, Selena said: “I understand where you are coming from. I’m sorry, I did the best I could with the time I was given.”
However, she added that this “doesn’t take away from how much work and heart I put into this movie”, adding: “Do not ever say my fans are the problem standing up, as you say, for me.”
Eugenio then shared a TikTok of his own, apologising “truly” for his “careless comments”.
“They are indefensible and go against everything I stand for,” he wrote. “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.
“Emilia Pérez deserves to be celebrated, not diminished by my thoughtless remarks. I’m walking away from this with an important lesson learned. While I understand if you cannot accept my apology, please know it comes from the heart.”
He signed off his message: “With all my love and admiration.”
Selena shares the screen with Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón and Édgar Ramírez in Emilia Pérez, which arrived on Netflix last month.
On Monday afternoon, the Good For You singer will discover whether she has been nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in the film.
