Despite Eugenio Derbez apologizing to Selena Gomez for criticizing her Spanish language skills, claiming she doesn’t speak Spanish well, the controversy continues. The actor and film director not only commented on the language but also highlighted that it affected the actress’s performance in the role of Jessi del Monte in the movie ‘Emilia Pérez’.
Fans of the artist continue to strongly criticize the comedian, and meanwhile, Gomez explained in an interview why she no longer speaks Spanish well.
As is well known, the 32-year-old artist has Mexican roots from her father Ricardo Joel Gomez, while on her mother’s side, Mandy Teefey-Cornett, she has American blood.
Quien reported that in a conversation with NPR’s Fresh Air program, Selena Gomez explained that when she moved to California, she started to forget Spanish, mainly because from a very young age, she began working on English-language projects.
“I got my first job at 7 years old, and most of my jobs since then were in English, I simply lost (my Spanish). That is a bit the case for many people, especially Mexican-American people,” detailed Gomez, emphasizing that prior to ‘Emilia Pérez’ she was in Spanish classes.
Despite the criticism, the actress and singer expressed, “I don’t think this is the last thing I’ll do in Spanish. I think that’s why I try to honor my culture as much as possible, from releasing an album in Spanish to wanting to make this movie.”
What did Eugenio Derbez say about Selena Gomez?
Eugenio Derbez said that Selena Gomez “does not know Spanish” and that this caught his attention a lot in ‘Emilia Pérez’ because it is a Spanish-language film.
“There is something that catches my attention a lot. Selena is indefensible, she was with people that we turned to look at every time she appeared on screen and we asked ‘What is this?’ In Cannes, where she was given an award, and in the United States, where nobody talks about it, they keep giving her awards because they don’t know Spanish… Spanish is not her primary language, not even her secondary or fifth, she doesn’t speak Spanish. That’s why I feel she doesn’t know what she’s saying and by not knowing it, she can’t give nuances to her interpretation,” Derbez stated.
Selena Gomez replied: “I understand your arguments… I’m sorry. I did the best I could with the time I was given. That doesn’t take away from the value of the work and heart I put into this movie.”
Amid so much controversy, Eugenio apologized with a message on TikTok saying: “Dear Selena, I offer you my sincere apologies for my careless comments, they are indefensible and go against everything I stand for… There is no excuse. I was wrong and I deeply admire your career and your kind heart. Emilia Pérez deserves to be celebrated, not diminished by my thoughtless comments.”
