Washington: Mexican actress Karla Sofia Gascon has broken her silence following a Twitter controversy that dashed her hopes of making history as the first openly transgender actress to win an Academy Award for her role in Emilia Perez.

In a recent appearance promoting her biographical book Lo que queda de mi (What's Left of Me), Gascon spoke candidly about the backlash she faced over past social media posts. Her Oscar aspirations were shattered after journalist Sarah Hagi unearthed tweets from 2016, which included derogatory remarks about Islam, George Floyd, and the LGBTQ+ community. These posts sparked widespread outrage, leading to intense criticism and a public uproar.

In her comments, Gascon suggested that there was a deliberate effort to sabotage her Oscar bid. "It's clear that there was a campaign against me and that they kept going until they got what they were after," she said in an interview, according to Deadline.

Gascon's response to the controversy has been mixed, at times apologetic, and at others, defiant. When asked whether she felt forgiven for her past posts, she responded, "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."

The actress also strongly pushed back against claims that she is far-right or racist. "But if there's one thing I've done all my life, it's that I've been against all this. When I was young, I used to fight with skinheads ... When someone comes up to me and I ask them: 'But what is it about me that offends you?', no one can come up with anything or tell me anything."

Netflix, which produced Emilia Perez, initially distanced itself from Gascon amid the backlash. However, the streaming giant later invited her to its Oscars party. Despite this, Netflix has never publicly condemned her tweets, with Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria simply describing the situation as a "bummer" for the film's campaign.

In a recent interview with Variety, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos expressed a willingness to work with Gascon again, saying, "You have to have some grace when people make mistakes. And we have grace."