EXCLUSIVE: Sarah Jane Morris and Alexis Vazquez have joined the cast of Jorge Xolalpa‘s immigration thriller Huehxolotl.
Deadline has learned that they will join Maya Zapata, Elyfer Torres, Katherine Castro and Alexander James Rodriguez in the film, which is billed as a “tense, character-driven legal thriller exploring the emotional, cultural, and systemic battles faced by undocumented immigrants in America.” We revealed news of Xolalpa’s pic in March.
Brothers & Sisters star Morris will play Helen, a district attorney who, while passing by, witnesses an illegal ICE detention attempt targeting lead character Xochitl and her sister Nayeli (Torres) outside their family-owned restaurant. Moved by the injustice, she intervenes, risking her career and personal safety to help the sisters evade an unlawful deportation.
Vazquez will portray Agent Perez, a ruthless, cold and conniving ICE officer at the center of the attempted detainment. His calculated pursuit of Xochitl becomes the catalyst for a broader legal and moral confrontation.
Morris is known for her starring role in ABC’s Brothers & Sisters and recently guest starred in HBO Max medical drama The Pitt. She also had roles in The Night Shift and Mad Men.
Vazquez has collaborated with director Xolalpa twice before – in a lead role in Prime Video series Strangelove and in Lolita, an upcoming feature about a recently released convict trying to rebuild his life and reconnect with his young daughter after nine years in prison.
“With Sarah and Alexis, we have two powerhouses anchoring the moral and emotional tension of this story,” said writer-director Xolalpa. “Their performances represent two extremes of the same system –those trying to fix it, and those exploiting it.”
Xolalpa is producing the film through his Mighty Aphrodite Pictures imprint, alongside Alfredo Widman (Holy Cash, The Girl at the Fruit Stand) at Latin Entertainment Works. They also paired to produce Lolita. Production on Huehxolotl is slated to begin in summer 2025 in L.A. and Mexico.
Morris is repped by TalentWorks and Darlene Kaplan Entertainment. Vazquez is repped by Posh Talent Agency. Xolalpa is repped by Palomera Group and yesterday signed with Post Talent for commercials and theatrical, as we reported exclusively.
