After repeatedly stoking backlash in the weeks leading up to the Oscars last month, Karla Sofía Gascón has snagged her next big screen role.
According to Variety, the “Emilia Pérez” actor has joined the cast of “The Life Lift,” a psychological thriller co-starring Vincent Gallo. She’ll portray a psychiatrist who “embodies both God and the devil” in the movie, to be directed by Stefania Rossella Grassi.
Gallo will play Gabriel, a tormented New York man who is driven “to commit atrocious murders,” per Variety.
Though a release date for “The Life Lift” has not yet been confirmed, news of its casting drew a heated response online, given Gallo and Gascón’s respective Hollywood reputations.
“Never would’ve imagined this nightmare of a collaboration,” one person wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Added another: “They deserve each other.”
Last year, Gallo was investigated by SAG-AFTRA after being accused of on-set misconduct by multiple female actors who auditioned for his upcoming film, “The Policeman.”
Director Jordan Gertner and the film’s production company, Pacific Media Productions, have defended the “Buffalo ’66” actor, who is also an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump, against the allegations.
As for Gascón, the Spanish actor won acclaim for her portrayal of a former Mexican cartel leader who undergoes gender affirmation surgery in “Emilia Pérez,” a musical thriller co-starring Selena Gomez and Zoe Saldaña.
In January, “Emilia Pérez” picked up 13 Academy Award nominations, including a historic nod for Gascón, who became the first openly transgender woman to be nominated for the Best Actress Oscar.
Gascón’s Oscars campaign began to implode, however when she accused fellow Best Actress nominee Fernanda Torres’ team of speaking badly about the film, raising concerns about violating the Academy’s campaign rules in the process.
Days later, a series of years-old X posts from Gascón’s account resurfaced in which she expressed incendiary views about Muslims, Jews and George Floyd, among other topics.
Gascón apologized for the posts, but nonetheless continued to draw ire with a series of questionable media appearances. Netflix, which purchased “Emilia Pérez” for a reported $12 million, responded by removing the actor from promotional materials for the film.
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Ultimately, Gascón lost the Oscar to Mikey Madison for “Anora.” Weeks after the ceremony, however, she struck a defiant tone while unveiling a new memoir in Spain, describing herself as “less racist than Gandhi.”
“No one has to forgive me for anything. If anyone feels offended by things I may have done in my life, let them come and tell me,” she said, per The Guardian. “It’s clear that there was a campaign against me and that they kept going until they got what they were after.”
