Tenoch Huerta Exits 'Fiesta en la Madriguera' After Sexual Assault Claim
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star Tenoch Huerta has dropped out of Netflix‘s upcoming film Fiesta en la Madriguera following an accusation of sexual assault from musician and activist María Elena Ríos. He previously has denied those claims.
In a statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter Wednesday, Huerta said, “Given the impact of the recent false statements by María Elena Ríos and the damage they have caused, I have no choice but to withdraw from participating in the film Fiesta en la Madriguera.’
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“It is with great sadness that I do this, but I cannot allow her actions to harm not only me, but also the work of dozens of talented and hard-working people involved in the project,” the statement continued. “My focus now is simple: continue the process of restoring my reputation.”
Filmmaker Manolo Caro is directing the feature, with Huerta announced last month as its star. It was filming this month in Guadalajara, Jalisco, and Katima Mulilo, Namibia, for a 2024 release. According to Netflix, it centers on “Tochtli, a boy who likes hats, dictionaries, samurais, guillotines, and the French. And now, all he wants is a new animal for his private zoo: a Namibian pygmy hippo. HIs father, Yolcaut, is willing to satisfy his every whim, even if that whim is an endangered exotic animal. Because Yolcaut will always manage.”
Earlier this month, Ríos accused the actor of being a “sexual predator” in a post shared on social media and said he had sexually assaulted her. She wrote, “It’s very difficult to talk about the emotional abuse and the abuse of power of a sexual predator who is loved around the world for playing a character in a movie such as Tenoch Huerta.”
Following the accusations, Huerta released a statement denying the claims, calling them “false and completely unsubstantiated.” The actor stated that he and Ríos previously had a consensual relationship that lasted several months.
His previous statement said in part, “Throughout it was a loving, warm and mutually supportive relationship. After it ended, however, Elena began to misrepresent our interactions both privately and in front of groups of mutual friends. As a result, a few months ago, I engaged a legal team to commence the appropriate actions to protect my reputation and refute these irresponsible and false accusations that can cause great prejudice and damage.”
He added, “Although I am by no means perfect, I know that these allegations are simply untrue. And while I will always work to improve myself, I need to contest claims that are both false and offensive.”
Huerta became widely known thanks to his work as Namor in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, released last year. He also starred in Netflix’s Narcos: Mexico and The Forever Purge, in addition to having a lengthy career in Mexico.
Marvel has announced no future plans for Namor, though Wakanda Forever strongly hinted he would return and generally Marvel players come in for multiple projects.
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