Los Angeles, California - Netflix is scrambling to distance itself from Karla Sofía Gascón, the star of Emilia Perez, as it dropped the star from its high-profile Oscars campaign over her racist and Islamophobic social media posts.

Images of Gascón, who made history as the first openly trans acting nominee in Academy Awards history, had adorned posters, billboards, and advertisements for the musical, which earned 13 Oscar nods – more than any other movie this year.

But that campaign has abruptly changed tack, after old social media posts were uncovered and widely shared last week in which the 52-year-old called Islam "an infection" and "deeply disgusting."

Gascón also denigrated or mocked wide-ranging subjects, including diversity efforts, China, and George Floyd, the Black man whose 2020 killing by police spurred massive protests.

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The Spanish star initially apologized in a statement issued via Netflix and deactivated her account on X, but soon reversed course by defending herself publicly.

She told CNN she is "not a racist" and will not withdraw from Oscar contention, and blamed "cancel culture" in an Instagram post.

The Hollywood Reporter and Variety said streaming giant Netflix, which has invested heavily in hopes that Emilia Perez will provide its first ever best picture Oscar win, has now dropped Gascón from all campaign efforts.

A Netflix web page promoting the film "for your awards consideration" on Tuesday contained an image of Zoe Saldaña, the movie's best supporting actress nominee.

At a peak moment in Hollywood's award season, Gascón will no longer attend events including Friday's Critics Choice Awards gala as scheduled, trade magazines reported.

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Contacted by AFP, Netflix declined to publicly comment.

Emilia Perez tells the story of a Mexican drug cartel boss who transitions to life as a woman and turns her back on crime.

It had previously received criticism for its depictions of Mexico and its drug war, its representation of trans issues, and its use of artificial intelligence to increase Gascón's voice range in musical scenes.