"Emilia Pérez" star

Gascón wants to remain silent about racism allegations

Karla Sofia Gascón apologizes on Instagram to "those who have been hurt along the way".(Bild: AFP/Getty Images/Kevin Winter)

"Emilia Pérez" lead actress Karla Sofia Gascón, who has been confronted with accusations of racism, wants to "let the work speak for itself" and not comment on the allegations out of respect for the team and the film. The Spanish actress explained this on Instagram on Friday.

She is keeping silent for the film, for director Jacques Audiard and "for the incredible team that deserved it, for the great adventure we all experienced together", Gascón said on Instagram. She hopes that "my silence will allow the film to be perceived for what it is: an ode to love and difference".

In her post, the trans woman also apologizes to "those who have been hurt along the way".

You can see the actress's post here.

Gascón has been the center of attention since previous online comments from her surfaced last week. In old tweets, she referred to Islam as a "source of infection for humanity" and mocked the anti-racist movement following the death of black US citizen George Floyd at the hands of police.

On Wednesday, director Jacques Audiard described Gascón's comments as "inexcusable" and "full of hate" and Netflix has already removed the leading actress from its major Oscar campaign for "Emilia Pérez".