“Roma” is heading into the 91st Academy Awards tied for being the most nominated movie of the year. Along with “The Favourite,” Alfonso Cuarón’s masterpiece is nominated in 10 categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress. While nominees Yalitza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira have been a fixture on the awards circuit this year, their “Roma” co-star Jorge Antonio Guerrero has not participated in any U.S. press events because his visa has been rejected three times.
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Guerrero spoke with Mexican publication El Sol de Acapulco after “Roma” received its handful of Oscar nominations and said his attempts to attend U.S. press events for the film have failed because he’s not being approved for a visa. With the Oscars taking place next month, Guerrero now fears he won’t be able to make it to the ceremony where his film is one of the biggest achievements being honored.
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According to Guerrero, who stars as Fermín in “Roma,” he was first denied a U.S. visa at the beginning of 2018 before “Roma” even premiered at the Venice Film Festival. The actor wanted to visit the U.S. as a tourist but was denied entry. Guerrero’s other attempts to secure a visa were in the fall as “Roma” became a powerhouse on the awards circuit. After being denied again, the actor was unable to attend Netflix-backed galas for “Roma” and award shows such as the Golden Globes, where “Roma” won Best Director and Best Foreign Language Film.
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“What I want to interpret is that it is a matter of procedure,” Guerrero said. “It is a procedure that I want to do and that I have been denied by the interviewers that have touched me. I want to think that, because if we could find a way for a consular officer or someone in the embassy to read those letters of invitation, one could understand the artistic figure that I have and the cultural exchange that is taking place between two nations.”
Guerrero said that during one of his attempts to secure a visa in the fall, officials at the United States Embassy in Mexico City thought he was a worker seeking employment in the U.S. and not an actor. The Oscars take place Sunday, February 24, giving Guerrero just over a month to try and get approved.
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