Photo:Paul Morigi/Getty
Paul Morigi/Getty
Tenoch Huertasays he will no longer star in an upcomingNetflixmovie after denying a sexual assault accusation made against him
On Wednesday, theBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreveractor, 42, said in a statement shared withmultiple outletsthat he will no longer appear in the filmFiesta en la Madriguera, more than one week after musician and activistMaría Elena Ríosaccused him of being a “sexual predator” in a series of Spanish-languageTwitter posts.
“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,” he added. “My focus now is simple: continue the process of restoring my reputation.”
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The streamer and production company describedFiesta en la Madrigueraas a story about a boy named Tochtli who seeks to obtain a Namibian pygmy hippo for his private zoo. “His father, Yolcaut, is willing to satisfy his every whim, even if that whim is an endangered exotic animal,” reads a synopsis for the movie from Netflix. “Because Yolcaut will always manage.”
The woman who accused Huerta of sexual assault, Ríos, first made the allegation in a Spanish-languageTwitter poston June 10, after she also accused an activist group she and Huerta both once participated in calledPoder Prietoof “protecting” the actor.
“It is very difficult to talk about the emotional abuse and abuse of power of a sexual predator who is loved in the world for playing a character in a movie,” she thenclaimed on Twitter, tagging Huerta in the post.
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“And no, I don’t want to be famous. And no, I don’t want money because I know how to work,” Ríos added in afollow-up post, as she explained why she had not previously reported her accusations against Huerta.
Huerta’s statement released on his Instagram Story last Monday called Ríos’s accusations “irresponsible and false.” The activist and musician continued to share additional claims of abuse against Huerta onTwitteras recently as Thursday.
Eli Ade/Marvel/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
“About a year ago, I dated Elena for several months. It was entirely consensual at all times, as countless others can attest,” Huerta wrote in the statement, describing the relationship as “loving, warm and mutually supportive.”
“After it ended, however, Elena began to misrepresent our interactions both privately and in front of groups of mutual friends,” the actor claimed, noting that he has retained legal representation “to protect my reputation and refute these irresponsible and false accusations that can cause great prejudice and damage.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go torainn.org.
source: people.com
