Tenoch Huerta, best known for his role as Namor in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, has decided to step down from the upcoming Netflix film, Fiesta en la Madriguera following allegations of sexual miconduct.
Netflix announced the film in May, with director Manolo Caro and Oscar-winner Nicolás Giacobone (noted for Birdman) as the screenwriter.
Huerta has maintained he was in a consensual relationship with María Elena Ríos. He emphasised that this was a decision he took to safeguard his reputation and the work of the talented individuals involved in the project.
In a statement to ET, Huerta expressed his sadness over the situation and cited the “false statements” made by María Elena Ríos as the reason for his departure. He stated, “My focus now is simple: continue the process of restoring my reputation.”
The allegations against Huerta arose when musician María Elena Ríos accused him of being a “sexual predator” in a tweet on June 10th. However, Huerta vehemently denied the claims, labelling them as “false and completely unsubstantiated accusations.”
Ríos explained her delay in speaking out, citing fear of not being believed in a society where justice is often unattainable. She tweeted, “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.”
In response to Ríos’ allegations, Huerta maintained that their relationship was consensual and stated that he had sought legal action to protect his reputation. He stressed, “Although I am by no means perfect, I know that these allegations are simply untrue.”
