The singer and actress, 32, responded to criticism she received from Eugenio Derbez about her Spanish-speaking role in the acclaimed musical drama.
In a clip of an upcoming episode of Gaby Meza's podcast Hablando de Cine, shared on TikTok, the Mexico-born actor, 63, called Gomez's performance "indefensible" and said he and those he watched the movie with were in disbelief over her portrayal, given that she is not a fluent Spanish speaker.
"I understand where you are coming from," the Only Murders in the Building star wrote in the comment section of the TikTok post, addressing the criticism. "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 Pérez received early acclaim in the awards season amid its Netflix debut in November. The movie has been named one of American Film Institute's top 10 films of the year and nabbed three wins at the Cannes Film Festival after its world premiere -- including a best actress nod for Gomez, along with costars Karla Sofía Gascón, Adriana Paz and Zoe Saldaña.
On the podcast, host Meza called Gomez "very talented," but noted that she was not impressed by her performance due to the language barrier. "Spanish is neither her primary nor secondary language nor fifth," she said, per The Hollywood Reporter. "And that's why I feel she doesn't know what she is saying, and if she doesn't know what she's saying, she can't give her acting any nuance."
Derbez agreed, adding, "I'm glad you're saying that because I was saying, 'I can't believe no one is talking about it?' "
Derbez said he doesn't agree with the award buzz that Gomez and the movie has generated, and believes it has only been well-received because the audience doesn't speak Spanish.
"I feel like what happens is they don't speak Spanish," he said of the audience. "If you watch a Russian film or a German film that is subtitled in Spanish and you see someone [speaking in the original language], you say, 'Oh, look. Okay. How interesting.' "
Furthermore, the CODA actor criticized the movie's French director, Jacques Audiard, for also not speaking the language.
"I liked the film apart from Selena's [scenes] that jump at you because it has manageable things," he said. "But I was saying, 'How strange, because if 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 wanted to make a film in Russian without knowing the culture or Russian and speaking in French."
Derbez later responded to Gomez, posting a statement on TikTok. He wrote: "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 kind heart."
He continued, "Emilia Pérez deserves to be celebrated, not diminished by my thoughtless remarks. I'm walking away from this with an important lesson learned."
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In November, Gomez said she spent six months taking Spanish lessons to prepare for the role as she lost the ability to speak the language fluently after moving to California at a young age to pursue an entertainment career.
"I got my first job at 7, and most of my jobs from that point on were English," she said on NPR's Fresh Air. "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 follows high-powered lawyer Rita (Saldaña), who helps a Mexican cartel leader (Gascón) fake their death and transition into a woman -- later known as Emilia. In it, Gomez plays Emilia's wife.
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