'Roma' Star May Miss The Oscars After Being Denied Visa To Enter The U.S.

The Mexican film Roma deservedly nabbed an impressive 10 nominations for this year's Academy Awards, including one for Best Picture.

Unfortunately, not everyone involved in the film will be able to celebrate the film's accolades at the Oscars.

Mexican actor Jorge Antonio Guerrero Martínez, who stars in the Alfonso Cuarón film as Fermin in the highly acclaimed movie about a working-class housekeeper's relationship with her surrogate family, will not be able to attend the awards ceremony due to U.S. officials denying him a visa.

Guerrero said he was also unable to obtain a visa for screenings and other industry events taking place in the U.S., even after providing a letter submitted by one of Roma's producers proving he had official invitations, according to Mexican lifestyle magazine Quien,

He said:

"Specifically, I took a letter and they refused to read it."

"On my second attempt, they said I was going to go work, and I said that, no, I had been invited."

Guerrero told the Mexican entertainment program De Primera Mano that the letters written by Cuarón and Netflix – which produced the film – went unread.

"I tried giving it to the consul, they grabbed the paper and literally just returned my passport through the teller window. If they don't want to read it, then it's going to be very difficult."

Speculations about racism began to surface, given this wasn't the first time his request for a visa fell through. The actor, who also starred in Narcos: Mexico, was denied a visa last year when he applied to enter the U.S. as a tourist.

Despite rumors of racism barring him from entering the country, he told Mexican daily El Universal that he didn't feel "offended, angry or victimized," because he was aware of other Mexicans experiencing the same situation.

However, plenty of people expressed their frustrations.

Wishful thinking for a different kind of Hollywood ending.

What do actors smuggle in?

What's the point of celebrating movies featuring various cultures if the ones who made it are not welcome to the country?

Guerrero isn't giving up. He hopes to finally receive access into the country by the time the Oscars take place at the end of February.

"I hope that this can be resolved in the best way. And I insist that if I don't go, I'll still be thrilled. It's 10 nominations, darn it."

"This doesn't happen every year!"

He additionally told Quien:

"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."

It would be a huge disappointment for him to miss a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity due to a stricter immigration policy that had been Trump's sticking point that inevitably contributed to the partial government shutdown.