Jeremy O. Harris slams public queer criticism of Emilia Pérez: ‘Dislike it at dinner vehemently’

Playwright and actor Jeremy O. Harris has come out in criticism of those in the queer community who are publicly criticising Emilia Pérez as the film completes its award season.

The Slave Play writer took to Instagram Stories to respond to a piece published by US queer publication them which led with the headline: ‘Emilia Pérez Is Bad, Actually. Why Does Awards Season Love It?’

“It’s not, actually,” O. Harris wrote. “But also even if it were, awards season likes lots of terrible movies. Why would yall in ‘queer media’ so hungrily take a shot at the one film this season that has give a trans actress and multiple Latinas a historic awards haul.”

“Awards are not really useful for anything except giving people [sic] more opportunities to work and I think in a season where so few women of colour and queer people are getting that chance, we should be mindful of the lives affected for the worse with clickbait bullshit headlines like this.”

The playwright, whose Tony-nominated Slave Play completed a run on the West End last year, went on to clarify his position further, explaining that he is not anti-criticism of the film but rather he feels such criticism is not best expressed publicly at this time, particularly given the proximity to Oscar voting which begins next week.

“Time and place, you know? [sic] Dislike Emilia Pérez at dinner vehemently! Write your takedown in another script. Not a publication a week before Oscar voting starts,” O. Harris wrote. “That’s pussy behaviour.”

Responding to a follower to replied to his story expressing that ‘people of colour and queers can also call out the work that is lazy and uninspired’, O. Harris doubled down writing: “There are arguments to be made about who is at the centre of Emilia Pérez but again that’s not the tenor of the article or even the headline.”

“This is about awards which is an extension of capitalism. Arguments about who gets to tell who’s [sic] stories are also about capitalism and who gets to benefits and participate in the capital gains from telling minority stories.”

“So if we are talking about capitalism vis a vis awards, I want people to be aware that this movie has the potential with awards to invite more trans, queer and brown people to the table to participate because [sic] this gets to be pointed to as material success in the realm of capitalism,” O. Harris explained.

“The convo isn’t about the merits of art subjectively or even attempting to silence one’s ability to critique.”

Emilia Pérez tells the story of a Mexican drug cartel boss who enlists a laywer to help fake their death in order to fulfil their dream of transitioning into a woman. She later returns to care for her children, unbeknownst to her wife who believes she is her ex-husband’s sister.

The film has become the second most nominated film in Golden Globe history, taking home four awards at the ceremony including Best Picture – Musical or Comedy. The film’s star Karla Sofía Gascón made history as the first out trans person to be nominated for Best Lead Actress in a musical or comedy film.

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