Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star, Tenoch Huerta has announced that he’s no longer going to star in an upcoming Netflix film, following the sexual assault allegations made against him.
Deadline obtained a statement from the actor, which said that he’s no longer going to star in Fiesta en la Madriguera due to the damage the accusations made by musician and activist, María Elena Ríos. He now plans to focus on “restoring his reputation” and does not want innocent people to be affected just because he is involved in the project.
“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.
“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. My focus now is simple: continue the process of restoring my reputation.”
Netflix announced last month that Huerta would star in this production, directed by House of Flower‘s Manolo Caro. By June 11, 2023, it was reported that Ríos accused the actor of being a “sexual predator” and that she was not the only victim of Huerta’s abuse. Huerta denied the allegations and claimed Ríos “misrepresented” their private interactions. While he did confirm that the two were in a consensual relationship in the past, he also states that these accusations were “both false and offensive.”
Huerta revealed that his legal team was now involved to help protect his reputation and ensure that the supposedly false accusations made against him don’t cause any more damage. So far, Netflix has not made any comments about the allegations made against Huerta. Netflix also did not comment on the actor’s departure from the show. A replacement actor has not yet been announced, and Huerta’s future in the MCU does not seem to be affected so far.
Fiesta En La Madriguera is scheduled to drop on Netflix sometime in 2024.