José Tenoch Huerta Mejía (Spanish: [teˈnotʃ ˈweɾta]; born 29 January 1981)[1] is a Mexican actor. He has appeared in a number of movies in Latin America and Spain, starring in both feature films, short films, and Narcos: Mexico, credited as Tenoch Huerta. He is featured in Mónica Maristain's book, 30 Actors Made in Mexico. He played Namor in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and was credited as Tenoch Huerta Mejía.[2][3]
Tenoch Huerta | |
|---|---|
 Huerta at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 | |
| Born | José Tenoch Huerta Mejía 29 January 1981 Ecatepec, State of Mexico, Mexico |
| Other names | Tenoch Huerta Mejía |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Notable work | |
Early lifeEdit
Huerta was born in Ecatepec de Morelos, State of Mexico,[4] on 29 January 1981. His father, a film buff, enrolled him in an acting course with María Elena Saldaña, and Huerta's later studies were alongside Carlos Torres Torrija and Luis Felipe Tovar.[5]
Huerta is of Indigenous descent, with a Nahua maternal great-grandmother and a Purépecha paternal great-great-grandmother.[6] He does not self-identify as Indigenous.[7] However, he encourages people to learn more about their Indigenous heritage within and outside the community.[8]
CareerEdit
In 2006, he made his acting career debut in the film Asi del precipicio as a minor character. In 2009, he appeared in Cary Joji Fukunaga's film Sin nombre in the role of Li'l Mago, leader of the Tapachula faction of the notorious Mara Salvatrucha gang.
In 2015, he appeared as Carlos Mamami in the biographical disaster survival film The 33, Alejo in Camino. In 2018, he began portraying Rafael Caro Quintero in Netflix's Narcos: Mexico.
In 2021, he appeared as Juan in The Forever Purge, the fifth film of The Purge franchise, alongside his fellow Narcos: Mexico costar Alejandro Edda.[9]
In 2022 during a San Diego Comic-Con presentation for the Marvel Studios film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Huerta was revealed to have joined the cast and revealed to be portraying Namor.[10] In Mexico, most reactions were positive. There was also a minority of negative reactions that were characterized as expressions of racism and malinchismo.[11] Huerta himself spoke against racism in the film industry and stated that he was excited to play the character.[12][13]
AwardsEdit
Best Actor at the Short Short Film Festival in Mexico City, for his performance in Alonso Ruizpalacios' Café paraíso.[14] Huerta has also received five nominations for the Ariel Award, winning for Best Actor for his role in Días de Gracia in 2012.
FilmographyEdit
FilmEdit
| Year | Title | Roles | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Así del precipicio | Window cleaner | |
| 2007 | Malamados, en la soledad todo esta permitido | Aarón | |
| Déficit | Adán | ||
| La zona | Mario | ||
| 2008 | Sleep Dealer | David Cruz | |
| Café paraíso | Gallo | Short film | |
| Road to Fame | Domingo | ||
| Nesio | El Araña | ||
| Soy mi madre | Ramón | ||
| Just Walking | David | ||
| 2009 | Sin nombre | Lil' Mago | |
| El horno | Boyfriend | Short film | |
| 2010 | Marea alta | Gerónimo | |
| Depositarios | Andrés | ||
| Chicogrande | Doctor Terán | ||
| ¿Cómo has estado? | Obsmar | Short film | |
| El Infierno | The Devil | ||
| Busco empleo | Ramn | Short film | |
| 2011 | Cristeros y Federales | Soldier | Short film |
| Días de gracia | Teacher / Lupe | ||
| 2012 | Vacaciones en el infierno | Carlos | |
| Cristiada | Uncredited | ||
| Colosio: El asesinato | Jesús "Chuy" | ||
| De tierra | Julio | Short film | |
| La vida precoz y breve de Sabina Rivas | Juan | ||
| Penumbra | Ángel | Short film | |
| 2013 | La banqueta | Abel | Short film |
| Stand Clear of the Closing Doors | Ricardo Sr. | ||
| 2014 | Güeros | Sombra | |
| Mercy | Él | Short film | |
| Escobar: Paradise Lost | Roldano Brother | ||
| El más buscado | Charro Misterioso / Alfredo Ríos Galeana | ||
| 2015 | The 33 | Carlos Mamani | |
| Semana Santa | Chávez | ||
| Camino | Alejo | ||
| Spectre | Mexican Man in Lift | ||
| Las Aparicio | Juan | ||
| 2016 | La carga | Francisco Tenamaztle | |
| Vive por mí | Gavilán | ||
| 2017 | El silencio es bienvenido | Soldier 1 | |
| El autor | Enrique | ||
| Tigers Are Not Afraid | El Chino | ||
| Debris | Armando | Short film | |
| 2018 | Bel Canto | Comandante Benjamín | |
| 2020 | Son of Monarchs | Mendel | |
| Dark Forces | Franco | ||
| 2021 | The Forever Purge | Juan | |
| Madres | Beto | ||
| 2022 | Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | Namor | Credited as Tenoch Huerta Mejía |
TelevisionEdit
| Year | Title | Roles | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Capadocia | Toño | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | Los Minondo | Nacho | |
| 2011 | El Encanto del Águila | Emiliano Zapata | 5 episodes |
| 2012 | Cloroformo | El Búfalo | 13 episodes |
| 2016 | Hasta Que Te Conocí | Nereo | 3 episodes |
| 2015–2016 | Mozart in the Jungle | Manuel | 2 episodes |
| 2016–2017 | Blue Demon | Alejandro Muñoz / Blue Demon | 65 episodes |
| 2018 | Here on Earth | Adán Cruz | 8 episodes |
| 2018–2020 | Narcos: Mexico | Rafael Caro Quintero | 11 episodes |
| TBD | The Chosen One | Upcoming Netflix series adapted from Mark Millar's comics American Jesus |
ReferencesEdit
- ^ Mónica Maristain (13 April 2012). "Los Sueños de Tenoch Huerta". Planeta Ellas. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
- ^ "'Black Panther 2' First Trailer Unveils Marvel's Emotional Return to Wakanda and War With Namor". Vaitey. 24 July 2022.
- ^ "Namor the Sub-Mariner dives into the new Black Panther: Wakanda Forever trailer". AV Club. 24 July 2022.
- ^ Banda, Martín (10 November 2022). "De Ecatepec para el mundo: Tenoch Huerta, nuevo super héroe de Marvel". El Mañana. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ http://www.planetaellas. com/2012/04/13/los-suenos-de-tenoch-huerta/
- ^ "Twitter, Mi origen es Purépecha (tatarabuela paterna) y Nahua (bisabuela materna)".
- ^ "Twitter, No soy indigena".
- ^ Pulliam-Moore, Charles (31 October 2022). "Tenoch Huerta hopes Wakanda Forever helps Latin Americans embrace their roots". The Verge. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
- ^ "How Tenoch Huerta Transformed into Namor—and Transformed the Character in the Process". menshealth.com. 17 October 2022.
- ^ "Black Panther 2's Namor Actor Describes the 'Overwhelming' Experience Suiting up for the First Time". 26 July 2022.
- ^ "Tenoch Huerta como Namor despierta el malinchismo de los mexicanos". es-us.vida-estilo.yahoo.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 December 2022.
- ^ Osborn, Catherine. "A Disjointed Western Hemisphere Gathers". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
- ^ Hiatt, Brian (22 November 2022). "Namor vs. Aquaman, A Viral Speedo Tweet, and Other Burning Topics with Tenoch Huerta". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
- ^ "Café paraíso Paradise Café". Secretaría de Cultura/Sistema de Información Cultural.