The Emilia Pérez role is Gomez’s first in a Spanish-speaking part, but she told Variety that she spoke Spanish at home until she was 7 and grew up embracing her Mexican heritage with her father’s side of the family. The Wizards of Waverly Place alum also brought Spanish into her music in 2021, when she released the EP Revelación.

"As Latinos, we should always support one another. There's no excuse. I was wrong, and I deeply admire your career and your kind heart," he wrote in a statement.

The "Emilia Pérez" actress defended herself after CODA’s Eugenio Derbez labeled her performance in the film “indefensible.”