Selena Gomez responds to backlash over her Spanish accent in ‘Emilia Perez’

Selena Gomez hit back at Eugenio Derbez for criticizing her Spanish accent in her new movie, Emilia Pérez.

The 32-year-old actress and singer’s reaction came after Eugenio described Selena’s Spanish-speaking abilities as “indefensible” during an appearance on the episode of the Hablando de Cine podcast.

 “Selena is indefensible,” the 63-year-old told podcast host Gaby Meza.

She added, “I [watched ‘Emilia Pérez’] with people, and every time she had a scene, we looked at each other to say, ‘Wow, what is this?’

As per Variety, Meza disagreed with Eugenio’s statement and praised Selena’s efforts, saying she is a “very talented actress” even though “Spanish is not her main language, not her secondary or fifth.”

“I feel like she doesn’t know what she’s saying,” she added. “If she doesn’t know what she’s saying, she can’t give her acting any nuance.”

Clapping back at Eugenio, Selena took the comment section of a podcast clip posted on TikTok.

“I understand where you are coming from..I’m sorry I did the best I could with the time I was given,” the Only Murders in the Building actress wrote.

“Doesn’t take away from how much work and heart I put into this movie,” the Calm Down hitmaker added.

For those unversed, Selena speaks both Spanish and English in Emilia Pérez. The film was released in France on August 21, 2024.