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Spanish actor Gabriel Guevara arrested at Venice Film Festival over alleged sexual assault

Star of Prime Video film ‘My Fault’ was in Venice to receive award for Best Young Actor from Filming Italy

Isobel Lewis
Monday 04 September 2023 14:05 BST
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Spanish actor Gabriel Guevara has been arrested at the Venice Film Festival over an allegation of sexual assault.

An international arrest warrant was in place for the 22-year-old, best known for his role in Prime Video’s Spanish-language drama My Fault, following an alleged sexual assault in France.

On Saturday (2 September), Guevara was arrested by Italian state police, it was later confirmed. No further details regarding the assault or arrest have been provided.

Guevara had been in Venice for the international film festival, where the Skam España star was due to receive an award for Best Young Actor from Filming Italy the following day.

The company cancelled the award following his arrest, stating that this was a “precautionary measure” dependent on the outcome of the case against him.

A statement was also shared on the official Venice Film Festival Twitter/X account.

It read: “#LaBiennaleDiVenezia would like to specify that the presence in #Venice of Spanish actor #GabrielGuevara, that some press websites have recently reported as being under arrest, was not linked to any activity or production of the 80th Venice International Film Festival.”

The court of appeals will rule on his case before any extradition proceedings can begin.

Born in Madrid, Guevara worked as a model while making his TV debut in the Spanish adaptation of popular Norwegian teen drama Skam.

He also appeared in the TV series HIT, You Are Not Special and How to Send Everything to Hell, with forthcoming roles in Red Flags and Ni Una Más.

In June, Guevara – who has more than six million followers on Instagram – starred opposite Nicole Wallace in the romantic drama My Fault, based on a popular Wattpad story that was later published as a trilogy.

Guevara, pictured in 2020 (Getty Images)

He played Nick, who begins a forbidden romance with his new stepsister.

The film was poorly reviewed by critics, but according to Prime Video, it received the best ever opening three-day viewership figures for a non-English original.

Guevara is currently scheduled to reprise the role in forthcoming sequels Your Fault and Our Fault.

The Independent has contacted representatives for Guevara and Prime Video for comment.

Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk

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