“We came from a place of love, and I stand by that”: Zoe Saldana addresses a journalist who said Emilia Pérez was "really hurtful for us Mexicans"

Zoe Saldana played the role of Rita Mora Castro in her latest film, Emilia Pérez, and won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. In an interview after receiving her award, a journalist mentioned how the film Emilia Pérez was "really hurtful for us Mexicans". Zoe Saldana responded to the statement with grace by saying,

"We came from a place of love, and I stand by that," Saldana explained.

Zoe Saldana also shared her perspective on what the movie meant to her. She did not share the same sentiments that the journalist mentioned; however, she was respectful while addressing the journalist.

Keep reading to learn how Zoe Saldana responded to the journalist at the Oscars.

How did Zoe Saldana respond to the journalist who felt that Emilia Pérez was hurtful for Mexicans?

During an interview at the Oscars, a Mexican journalist mentioned how the movie represented the transgender population and focused on women's empowerment but did not highlight Mexico as much. According to the journalist, the "heart of the movie" was Mexico, and they questioned Saldana what she thought was the heart of the movie.

Additionally, the journalist also asked Saldana to address the "topic" that was "really hurtful for us Mexicans".

Saldana responded by apologizing to the journalist and the Mexican population as a whole who felt offended by the film. She stated that hurting a specific population was not their intention and everything they had done came from a place of love.

However, Saldana stood strong and said,

"I don't share your opinion. For me, the heart of the movie was not Mexico. We weren't making a film about a country. We were making a film about four women. And these women could have been Russian, could have been Dominican, could have been Black, from Detroit. Could have been from Isreal, could have been from Gaza." Saldana expressed.

She continued,

"And these women are still very universal women that are struggling every day, trying to survive systemic oppression, and trying to find their most authentic voices, so I will stand by that" Saldana says.

Saldana ends her answer by saying,

"I am always open to sit down with all of my Mexican brothers and sisters, and with love and respect, having a great conversation on how Emilia could have been done better." she concludes.

What did fans think of Zoe Saldana's answer to the journalist's question?

Hundreds of comments flooded Pop Crave's post of Saldana addressing the Mexican journalist. This is what fans had to say:

One user asked,

"how was it "really hurtful for Mexicans"?" - @debayo_xx questioned.

Another user appreciated the journalist for speaking out. They said,

"w journalist" - @scheisebaby remarked.

One fan commented on Saldana's response. They wrote,

"Zoe's response reflects how important it is to approach things with good intentions, even when others may interpret them differently." - @GoGetFit stated.

Even with the film's success, Zoe Saldana's response shows how important it is to address criticism respectfully by listening to other people's viewpoints.

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