Roma Star Jorge Antonio Guerrero Granted U.S. Visa Ahead of the Oscars After Being Denied 3 Times
Roma actor Jorge Antonio Guerrero no longer has to worry if he’ll be able to attend the Oscars, as he was finally granted a visitor visa just as awards season comes to a close.
After working with the U.S. Embassy in Mexico on behalf of the actor, Netflix — who distributed Roma — was able to secure a non-immigrant visa for Guerrero, PEOPLE confirms.
In addition to the temporary visa, Guerrero also has his ticket for the Academy Awards and will be attending the upcoming Feb. 24 ceremony.
The happy news comes a few weeks after Guerrero expressed his concern about missing the big night for Alfonso Cuarón’s film, which landed 10 Oscar nominations — including one for Best Picture — and tied for the most nominations at this year’s ceremony.
The actor plays Fermín, the boy Yalitza Aparicio’s Cleo falls in love with and, eventually, has to track down once he disappears after she tells him she’s pregnant with their child.
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Because of the film’s accolades, the principal cast of the movie is invited to the show, but Guerrero believed he wouldn’t be in attendance, as he had applied for a visa three times last year, but said he was denied entry every time.
“The first time [I applied] was at the beginning of last year. Back then, I didn’t have anything related to the movie and my intentions were just for tourism,” he told Quien in an interview. “But then I started receiving invitations from Netflix in October and November to attend red carpets and the Golden Globes.”
With the prestigious invitations in hand, Guerrero said he applied again and even brought a letter to the U.S. Embassy in Mexico from one of the movie’s producers.
“I brought a letter that they didn’t want to read, to be honest,” he said. “In my second try, they said that I was going to work and I told them no, I was going because I was invited. And this last try wasn’t even memorable, it felt like the woman I spoke to was already a little angry.”
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During that time, Guerrero believed the letters just needed to fall into the right hands of somebody who would help — something Netflix eventually intervened with and made happen.
“If we could find a way for a person from the consulate or embassy to read these letters, they could understand the artistic need I have and the cultural exchange that’s happening between two nations,” Guerrero said. “The whole time I was saying I was invited by the movie that Alfonso Cuarón had made in Mexico.”
The actor also reacted to the movie’s nominations, which include a Best Actress nod for Aparicio and a Best Supporting Actress one for Marina de Tavira. The movie was also nominated for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Foreign Language film, among others.
“I’m really happy. Hopefully, and I say this with my whole heart, Yalitza wins the Oscar,” he said. “Imagine that! I’m thinking more about that.”
The 91st Annual Academy Awards air live on ABC at 8 p.m. ET on Feb. 24.
