Selena Gomez has addressed the controversy surrounding her Oscar -nominated film, Emilia Pérez. Speaking at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Sunday, the 32-year-old actor was asked how she was doing amid the backlash surrounding her co-star, Karla Sofia Gascón.

Much like Emilia Pérez’s titular heroine, a reformed cartel capo who keeps her identity hidden after undergoing gender reassignment surgery for fear of retribution, this year’s most-nominated Oscar contender was always going to have a target on its back.

Before Gascón came under scrutiny for her posts, Emilia Pérez had already been established as the villain of awards season. It frequently happens that one film emerges as the most-hated among its peers — and it often wins Best Picture because negative sentiment alone doesn’t always sway academy voters.