Life imitated art a few days ago when an actor known most recently for his role in Luis Estrada’s La dictadura perfecta (The Perfect Dictatorship) was denied entrance into a gala held at Mexico’s official presidential residence, Los Pinos, despite having received a formal invitation weeks earlier. Known primarily for his work in TV, actor Sergio Mayer seemed to invoke current president Enrique Peña Nieto in his performance as a clueless “El Presidente” in Estrada’s controversial political satire — a fact which has led to much speculation as to the reasons behind his expulsion from the event.
Yet in addition to his television and film work, Mayer is also the spokesperson for a number of social organizations, including “Y quién habla por mi” and Be Foundation, which he was representing at the Jan. 5 gala held to unveil a newly created national database of birth certificates.
According to statements by Mayer and his companion at the event, Be Foundation president Karen Mercado, after first being allowed into the presidential estate they were aggressively “harassed” by members of the Mexican government’s National Population Registry (Renapo), including its director, Alejandro Armenta, who insisted that Mayer leave immediately. Mayer promptly exited the premises along with Mercado, who speculated that the order “came from above”, as government functionaries wouldn’t dare make such a decision without official consent.
For his part, Mayer has refused to comment on perceived connections between the incident and his role in La dictadura perfecta, insisting such statements would be “irresponsible.” Meanwhile, Armento has issued a formal apology suggesting that those involved would be asked to resign.
The Be Foundation has also issued an official statement condemning the incident and affirming that Mayer and Mercado were treated like “delinquents.”
While we will likely never know what truly went down with absolute certainty, we can be sure that thanks to Mexico’s ongoing political circus Luis Estrada will soon have enough material for another feature or two.
