Eugenio Derbez sorry for criticizing Selena Gomez in ‘Emilia Pérez’

Eugenio Derbez is apologizing to Selena Gomez for his “careless comments,” which criticized the actress for her Spanish-speaking efforts in the musical drama Emilia Pérez.

It all began with the CODA actor’s appearance on an upcoming episode of the Hablando de Cine podcast, where he slammed Gomez’ performance in the film, in which she speaks Spanish despite not being fluent.

“Selena is indefensible,” Derbez said of the performance. “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?’”

Podcast host Gaby Meza agreed that while Gomez is a “very talented actress,” she thought the performance was hindered by her limited abilities as a Spanish-speaker.

“I feel she doesn’t know what she is saying, and if she doesn’t know what she’s saying, she can’t give her acting any nuance,” Meza said. “And that is why her performance is not only unconvincing but uncomfortable.”

Derbez agreed, expressing his surprise that “no one is talking about it,” but rationalized that fans of the multi-hyphenate may not realize the performance’s flaws if they are not Spanish-speakers themselves. He added that he enjoyed the film outside of Gomez’ role, but wondered why French director Jacques Audiard helmed the film, despite not speaking Spanish himself. 

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Derbez’ comments quickly made the rounds on social media, prompted a response from Gomez.

“I understand where you are coming from,” Gomez commented on a TikTok video of the interview. “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.”

She later added, “Also do not ever say my fans are the problem standing up, as you say, for me.”

Hours later, Derbez shared an apology on TikTok.

“Dear Selena, I truly apologize for my careless comments,” he began. “They are indefensible and go against everything I stand for. As Latinos, we should always support one another. There’s not excuse. I was wrong, and I deeply admire your career and your kind heart.”

He continued, “Emilia Pérez deserves to be celebrated, not diminished by my thoughtless remarks. I’m walking away from this with an important lesson learned. While I understand if you cannot accept my apology, please know it comes from the heart.”

A representative for Gomez did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly‘s request for comment.

Since long before the film’s release, Gomez has been open about not being a native Spanish speaker and the fact that — despite previously recording several Spanish language songs — Emilia Pérez is her first performance done almost entirely in Spanish. She told EW that she chased the role “for months” and when she finally landed it, felt that she had something to prove.

“What’s really difficult about my position is that I am really surrounded by predominantly white English-speaking people,” she shared. “So, to be a part of something like this was truly meaningful because I’m very proud of who I am. I may not be fluent, but that doesn’t make me less proud or less Mexican in my eyes.”

She added, “I hope it’s not my last project I do in Spanish. It is something that I feel I’ve gotten better at. I can understand a whole conversation now, so be aware of what you say in front of me.”