Two actors from Netflix’s The Chosen One have died after a production van crashed in Mexico on Thursday.
The Baja California Institute of Culture confirmed on Friday that actors Raymundo Garduno Cruz and Juan Francisco Gonzalez Aguilar, known professionally as Paco Mufote, died in the accident, which also resulted in six others among the cast and crew being injured. All six are in stable condition.
Local media reported that the van ran off the road in a desert area before flipping, according to the Associated Press.
Redrum, the production company behind The Chosen One, has temporarily paused production on the series. The show reportedly began filming in Mexico back in April.
Liliana Conlisk Gallegos, a friend of Mufote, told The Daily Beast that the actor had previously complained about poor transportation and logistics.
"Paco touched the hearts of everyone he ever met, he was a great actor with a strong trajectory," Gallegos said. "He loved acting and playing music more than anything in the world and he dedicated himself to it, many times suffering economic hardship. He sacrificed for his love of acting.
"It fills me with rage that there are reports of abuse and exploitation being shared by people involved with the production," she said. "I would like to demand that this is further investigated. If nothing wrong was going on, then there shouldn't be an issue with providing the information.
Writer Faisal Lutchmedial said that he was "absolutely devasted" to hear the news about Mufote, whom he worked with on the short film Beneath Us.
Actor Fernando Bonilla, a friend of Cruz, tweeted that he was "devastated" by the news of his death, echoing claims of exploited labour and overworked drivers.
"Ray was an actor, director, and cultural manager who made Tijuana his home. He was a festive and generous friend," Bonilla wrote. "Many film and television productions have drivers overexploited."
Netflix describes The Chosen One as the story of a boy aged 12 who learns he’s the returned Jesus Christ, destined to save humankind. The show is based on the comic book series by Mark Millar and Peter Gross.
The streaming platform has yet to issue a comment on the situation.
