‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ star Tenoch Huerta says he had to learn how to swim to play underwater king Namor

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“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” star Tenoch Huerta revealed that he ironically didn’t know how to swim when he was offered the role of the underwater king Namor.

Huerta makes his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in the upcoming film as Namor, a mutant who is also the king of a secret underwater kingdom called Talocan (Atlantis in the comics).

In a new trailer released Monday, Namor appears to be the antagonist in the upcoming film, with his kingdom laying siege to Wakanda from the seas.

In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Huerta said that when he was cast in the role, he was asked about his swimming skills by director Ryan Coogler.

“I’ve never drowned before,” he recalled saying at the time.

The 41-year-old Mexican actor explained to EW: “I never lie! I never drowned before, so that’s not a lie.”

Tenoch Huerta as Namor in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and the character in the comics. Marvel Studios / Marvel Comics

The publication explained that Huerta took swimming lessons to prepare for the role, however, all of the cast had to practice swimming and breath training for the upcoming movie.

Last week, Huerta said to Empire that Namor was a mutant similar to the comics. This will make him the third official mutant in the MCU as fans await for their favorite “X-Men” characters to arrive after Disney bought the screen rights to the characters in its acquisition of Fox.

The new trailer for “Wakanda Forever” also appeared to confirm that Shuri (Letitia Wright) will be taking over as the lead hero Black Panther, similar to her character arc in the comics. The character behind the mantle was originally Shuri’s brother, T’Challa, who was played by the late Chadwick Boseman.

Boseman died on August 28, 2020, following treatment for colon cancer that he was diagnosed with four years earlier, which led to the producers of “Wakanda Forever” making changes for the sequel movie.

Last week, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige told Empire that they decided not to recast Boseman because it felt “much too soon.”

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is in theaters on November 11.