Washington [USA], December 12 : Mexican actor and comedian Eugenio Derbez issued an apology to Selena Gomez for criticising her performance in 'Emilia Perez'.
After the actress and singer, Selena Gomez clapped back at Eugenio Derbez for his comment, the comedian took to his own Tiktok account to 'truly apologize' for his 'thoughtless remarks' on the Spanish accent of the actress, reported The Hollywood Reporter.
"They are indefensible and go against everything I stand for," the CODA actor 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." added Eugenio Derbez.
He continued, "Emilia Perez 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." as quoted by The Hollywood Reporter.
The issue came to light after Gomez who was not fluent in Spanish took on the challenge of speaking the language in the film Emilia Perez. It is a musical crime drama written and directed by Jacques Audiard, with a cast that includes Zoe Saldana, Adriana Paz, Mark Ivanir, and Edgar Ramirez.
In the film, Gomez plays the role of Jessi, a character in a bilingual film that alternates between Spanish and English.
This decision did not sit well with Derbez. He shared his thoughts on the podcast, explaining his dissatisfaction with Gomez's performance.
"Selena is indefensible," Derbez said, adding, "I watched the film with people, and every time she had a scene, we looked at each other to say to each other, 'Wow, what is this?' reported Deadline.
The podcast host, Gaby Meza, argued that because Spanish is not Gomez's first language, the nuances of her performance were lost.
"If she doesn't know what she's saying, she can't give her acting any nuance," Meza explained.
Derbez supported this view, saying, "I'm glad you're saying it because I said, 'Why is no one talking about that?'"
He compared the situation to making a film in Russian without understanding the culture or language of the country.
After a clip from the podcast was shared on TikTok, Gomez responded directly to the criticism, as per Deadline.
As per Deadline, in the post, the 'Good For You' singer wrote, "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."
'Emilia Perez' plot revolves around a cartel leader who enlists a lawyer to help her disappear and transition into a woman.