What’s next for Karla Sofía Gascón after her controversial awards season for “Emilia Pérez“? Variety reports that the actress will star next in the Italian psychological thriller “The Life Lift,” which, coincidentally enough, sees her co-star with another actor known for courting controversy.
READ MORE: Karla Sofía Gascón Can’t Stop And It’s A Problem For ‘Emilia Pérez’
So who’s Gascón starring opposite to? None other than Vincent Gallo, the man behind films like “The Brown Bunny,” “Buffalo ’66,” and more. The first feature from Italian director Stefania Rossella Grassi, “The Life Lift” stars Gallo as Gabriel, a tenant in a small NYC apartment who becomes the target of post-its left in the building’s elevator to commit murders for other people who live in the building. Gascón will play Gabriel’s psychiatrist who, the synopsis reveals, “embodies both God and the devil.”
It’s an intriguing premise, but Gascón and Gallo in the lead roles feels like a deliberate choice on Rossella Grassi’s part; no doubt people will be talking about this one before its world premiere. Still, Grassi has experience working with big stars. Isabella Rossellini and Franco Nero starred in a short by the director called “Preludio.” Rossella Grassi plans to shoot “The Life Lift” in late 2025 through February 2026, so look for it to make a 2026 festival premiere. It’s a major individual project for Rossella Grassi: along with directing, she also co-writes the film with Tommaso Scutari, and co-produces with Carmela Arena via Dizy Production.
Once an awards season favorite this past winter, Gascón’s campaign got derailed after controversial tweets of hers resurfaced, their topics including views on Muslims, George Floyd and the #Black Lives Matter movement, and diversity at the Oscars. The drama surrounding Gascón no doubt affected the success of Jacques Audiard‘s musical: after earning 13 nominations, including Best Picture, it won only two. Netflix distanced their awards season campaign from Gascón after the tweets resurfaced, but the actress ended up attended the Oscars anyway, although she didn’t walk the red carpet.
Meanwhile, the controversy-prone Gallo made headlines in early 2024 for reports that the actor had inappropriate conduct with three separate actresses while they auditioned for parts in his upcoming film “The Policeman.” SAG-AFTRA investigated the incidents shortly after they came to light. Since then, there’s no word on a release date for “The Policeman.” Gallo stars as Joseph James Deangelo, aka: The Golden State Killer in Jordan Gertner‘s film, which follows the serial rapist and murder’s rampage through California in the ’70s and ’80s.
Don’t expect a release plan for “The Life Line” until mid-2026 after Rossella Grassi wraps the film. But audiences may see Gascón next in “Men And Other Inconveniences,” which she shot prior to “Emilia Pérez.” Gascón will also star in Armando Bó‘s “Las Mala,” which aims to shoot later this year.
