Eugenio Derbez Apologizes for His Criticism of Selena Gomez's Controversial Performance in 'Emilia Pérez'

En español

After Selena Gomez responded to Eugenio Derbez's critique of her performance in the movie 'Emilia Pérez,' the Mexican actor and filmmaker issued a public apology. His words, both in the critique and the subsequent apology, sparked controversy, but not as much as the reactions from Selena's fans, known as the Selenators, and other Mexican-Americans who felt deeply offended.

It all began during Derbez's appearance on Gaby Meza's podcast 'Hablemos de Cine.' In the conversation, Meza asked for Derbez's thoughts on Selena's role in 'Emilia Pérez.' Derbez started by saying, "There was something that caught my attention, Selena Gomez's performance..." Meza then chimed in with her own opinion, calling Gomez's acting "indefensible."

As the discussion progressed, Derbez echoed Meza's word choice after initially praising Selena's talent. The two agreed that the issue lay with Selena's Spanish accent, with Derbez stating, "She doesn't understand what she's saying," accompanied by mocking tones and gestures.

Here is the full clip of Derbez's remarks.

Selena's response and fans' backlash

Selena herself reacted with a message: "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."

However, her fans were far less calm. The Selenators launched harsh criticism at Derbez, targeting his past work and even other members of his family. Many labeled him a "hypocrite," pointing out that he had praised the film after watching it at the invitation of Adriana Paz, the sole Mexican actress in the movie, during the Toronto Film Festival. At the time, Derbez had described the film as "great."

Derbez's apology

Later that night in Los Angeles, where both he and Selena reside, Derbez took to TikTok, the platform where most of the backlash had concentrated, to issue a heartfelt apology:

"Dear Selena,

I truly apologize for my careless comments -- they are indefensible and go against everything I stand for. As Latinos, we should always support one another. There's not 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.

With all my love and admiration,

Eugenio Derbez"

Here's a screenshot of the apology on TikTok, which cannot be embedded in this article.

While some of Derbez's followers argued he didn't need to apologize for expressing his opinion, many condemned the way he expressed himself, not just toward Selena but also toward Latinos who struggle with Spanish fluency.

Some commenters reminded Derbez that he, too, has an accent when speaking English and pointed out the harsh criticism his children's films have received. Others highlighted the challenges faced by Latinos who don't speak English fluently, wondering if such scrutiny would be applied to a non-Latino actor attempting Spanish.

The true consequences of Derbez's comments remain to be seen. While he is not the first Mexican celebrity to critique 'Emilia Pérez,' others focused their criticism on the production or the French director Jacques Audiard.

For now, the apparent winner in this controversy is Netflix, where 'Emilia Pérez' is already streaming in the United States.