Selena Gomez is celebrating her Golden Globe nomination for her role in "Emilia Pérez" hours after she reacted to criticism of her Spanish in the film.
Gomez stars alongside Zoe Saldaña and Karla Sofía Gascón in the Netflix musical crime film "Emilia Pérez," which arrived on the streaming platform Nov. 13. In the movie, Gomez portrays Jessi Del Monte, the wife of a cartel kingpin, and speaks Spanish.
Shortly after "Emilia Pérez" debuted on Netflix, Gomez spoke to NPR about taking Spanish lessons for nearly half a year to prepare.
"I got my first job at 7, and most of my jobs from that point on were English," she told NPR. "And I just lost (my Spanish). That's kind of the case for a lot of people, especially Mexican American people."
She continued, "I wish I just knew a lot more than I do. But I think that's why I try to honor my culture as much as possible -- from releasing an album in Spanish to wanting to pursue this movie. And I don't think it'll be the last thing I do in Spanish."
"Emilia Pérez" originally premiered at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in May, but now that the film is streaming and involved in awards season conversations, more people have been able to view the movie, including Mexican actor and comedian Eugenio Derbez.
Derbez recently discussed "Emilia Pérez" on an episode of the "Hablando de Cine Con" podcast with host Gaby Meza. In a clip from the episode, which has since been removed from Spotify, shared on TikTok, Derbez called out Gomez's Spanish.
"Selena is indefensible," he said in Spanish. "I (watched 'Emilia Pérez') with people, and every time she had a scene, we looked at each other to say, 'Wow, what is this?'"
Meza agreed, adding, "I feel like she doesn't know what she's saying. If she doesn't know what she's saying, she can't give her acting any nuance."
Derbez also pointed out that the movie was directed by Jacques Audiard, who is French.
The "CODA" star said, "I liked the film, aside from the Selena (moments) that jump at you, because it has salvageable things. But I told myself, 'How weird that the director doesn't speak English or Spanish and the movie is in Spanish and English. And it takes place in Mexico and you don't understand the culture.' It's like if I made a film in Russian without knowing the culture or speaking Russian and talking in French."
A day after Derbez's comments made headlines, Gomez responded to his critique.
In the comments beneath the TikTok post, she wrote, "I understand where you are coming from..I'm sorry I did the best I could with the time I was given."
She added, "Doesn't take away from how much work and heart I put into this movie."
Derbez saw her reply and later penned an apology to Gomez shared on TikTok Dec. 8.
On Dec. 8, he wrote, "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 no excuse. I was wrong, and I deeply admire your career and your heart."
He went on to say that "Emilia Pérez" should be praised and that his remarks should not be the focus. He said his viral comments taught him an "important lesson" and he understands if Gomez chooses not to accept his apology.
At the end of his statement, he signed it, "With all my love and admiration."
Gomez appeared to move on from the back-and-forth with Derbez as she celebrated her Golden Globe nomination Dec. 9 for her work in "Emilia Pérez." She earned a nod for best performance by a female actor in a supporting role in any motion picture.
The 32-year-old shared a video on her Instagram story of her emotional reaction the moment she heard her name read. In the clip, Gomez, who was lounging on a couch, immediately sat up and covered her face.
"Oh my God! I can't believe it!" she said.
In the caption, she said, "I don't even know what to write.. I'm so proud of @zoesaldana and I am so grateful and honored @goldenglobes."
Co-star Saldaña is also nominated in the same supporting actor category as Gomez, and Karla Sofía Gascón landed a nod for best performance by a female actor in a motion picture (musical or comedy). In total, "Emilia Pérez" led the field with 10 nominations.
Fans will find out if Gomez and her critically acclaimed movie will be declared the winners at the 82nd Annual Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 5, on CBS and Paramount+.