Netflix Scurries to Stem Oscar Fallout From Emilia Prez Scandal

Two weeks ago, Netflix’s chief content officer, Bela Bajaria, strutted across the stage of the Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles and crowed about the company’s 13 Oscar nominations for its Spanish-language musical, “Emilia Pérez.”“We just received more Oscar nominations than any other studio,” she boasted.Finally the most coveted prize, the Academy Award for best picture, which had eluded the streaming giant, seemed within its grasp.How fleeting that moment would prove to be.Just three days later, Netflix was releasing an apology on behalf of the film’s lead actress, Karla Sofía Gascón — the first openly trans actor to be nominated for an Academy Award — after a journalist resurfaced a series of derogatory comments Ms.Gascón had posted years ago on Twitter, now known as X.

In them, she denigrated an array of people, from Muslims to George Floyd, and even the Oscars.The streaming giant has one of the largest global awards operations in the business.Under the guidance of Lisa Taback, a leading Oscar strategist who cut her teeth in the rough and tumble campaign era of Harvey Weinstein, the company employs around 60 people dedicated to promoting their movies and shows for various awards shows, including the Oscars, the Emmys and the BAFTAs in Britain.But instead of playing offense, Netflix now finds itself trying to limit the fallout, and save the chances for nominees like Zoe Saldaña, who is up for best supporting actress for her role in the film.The company has removed Ms.

Gascón from billboards around Los Angeles that featured her alone (she remains in some group ads) and in email blasts to Oscar voters.During a trio of awards shows over the weekend, Ms.

Saldaña carried the film’s torch, accepting the Critics’ Choice Award for best supporting actress and calling her film, “the little movie that could.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience whi...