What did Eugenio Derbez say about Selena Gomez? Singer apologizes following actor’s Emilia Pérez criticism

Selena Gomez's performance in the Spanish movie Emilia Pérez received criticism from actor and comedian Eugenio Derbez during his appearance on the Hablando de Cine podcast. Gomez played the character of Jessi del Monte in the musical crime thriller which was released in August 2024.

According to a report by Deadline dated December 7, 2024, Eugenio Derbez criticized Selena Gomez's performance on the criteria of the singer not being fluent in Spanish. Eugenio said:

“Selena is indefensible. I was there [watching the movie] with people, and every time a scene came [with her in it], we looked at each other to say, ‘Wow, what is this?’”

A TikTok user posted a snippet of Eugenio's interview showcasing that he did not have much affirmative thought about Selena's performance in Emilia Pérez. However, Gomez commented under the TikTok post, justifying herself and said:

“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.”

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"I liked the film, aside from the Selena [scenes]"- Eugenio Derbez remarks on Selena Gomez's performance in Emilia Pérez

During his appearance at the Hablando de Cine podcast, Eugenio talked about how he realized something at the film's post-screening Q&A with Emilia Pérez's director, Audiard. The actor and comedian mentioned that since Audiard is French and doesn't speak English or Spanish, the actors in his movie spoke Spanish and English. Commenting on the same, Eugenio said:

“I felt it was an interesting experiment. How funny that a director… I liked the film, aside from the Selena [scenes] that jump at you, because it has salvageable things."

The actor and comedian also took a dig at the movie stating that he thought it was weird how the director didn't speak Spanish or English and made a movie in those two languages. Eugenio added that the movie takes place in Mexico and people won't understand the culture because it would be like him making a Russian film without knowing the language or culture and talking in French.

The host of the Hablando de Cine podcast, Gaby Meza, responded to Eugenio Derberz's criticism of Selena Gomez's performance in Emilia Pérez by calling the Wolves singer a "very talented actress" and a "very good singer".

Meza further continued that Spanish is not Selena's primary, secondary, or fifth language which could justify that she didn't know what she was saying, and if that was the case, "she can't give her acting any nuance." Gaby Meza said that this could be the reason why her performance in the movie comes across as unconvincing and uncomfortable.

While Eugenio Derbez agreed with Gaby Meza's perspective, he also asked why there wasn't anyone questioning Selena Gomez's performance in the movie and why she was receiving awards for the same. Eugenio said that a possible reason for the same could be that the audience doesn't realize Selena's acting is dull because they don't speak Spanish and have been reading just the subtitles.

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Selena Gomez starrer Emilia Pérez premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, the Telluride Film Festival, and the New York Film Festival. Additionally, the movie was announced as France's official selection for best international feature at the 97th Academy Awards.