AceShowbiz - This year's Oscar favorite and critics darling "Emilia Perez" has become the most-hated nominee due to never-ending controversies. Amid intense backlash against its lead star Karla Sofia Gascon, now its director Jacques Audiard is being scrutinized due to his dismissive comments about Spanish language.

"Spanish is a language of modest countries, of developing countries, of the poor and migrants," Audiard stated in an interview, sparking widespread outrage from the Spanish community.

The director hasn't addressed his controversial remarks, but he previously responded to critics who accused the film of perpetuating Mexican stereotypes. "If there are things that seem shocking in Emilia Pérez, then I am sorry," he told CNN, "Cinema doesn't provide answers. It only asks questions. But maybe the questions in Emilia Pérez are incorrect."

Actor Eugenio Derbez was one of the early critics of the movie. Besides being critical of Selena Gomez's accent, which he later apologized for, he especially took issues with director Jacques Audiard for not speaking Spanish or English and questioned his understanding of the Mexican culture depicted in the film.

"I told myself, 'How weird that 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 made a film in Russian without knowing the culture or speaking Russian and talk in French," he said in a late 2024 podcast interview.

"Emilia Perez", which was shot in France, received 13 nominations including Best Picture for the upcoming Academy Awards, but its Oscar campaign was deemed dead because of the controversies that keep piling up.

At the center of the backlash is the main star Karla Sofia Gascon, who's nominated for Best Actress. She was dragged for making disparaging comments about Muslims, George Floyd, and Oscars diversity. She also made shocking inflammatory remarks against her own co-star Selena Gomez and another A-lister Adele.

Following the backlash, Gascon deactivated her Twitter account and disabled Instagram comments. Fellow Oscar nominee Zoe Saldana was saddened by the situation, stating, "It saddens me because I don't support [it], and I don't have any tolerance for any negative rhetoric towards people of any group."

Amid this firestorm of drama, the Academy kept mum but they have reportedly unfollowed Gascon on Instagram. Now all eyes are on the upcoming ceremony slated for March 2, eagerly waiting for the final outcome.