The future belongs to the young and the young at heart. Thirteen-year-old Nathan Arenas, well, he’s both. A talented actor, Arenas landed his very first audition, earning him the role of Jorge Ramirez in the Disney Channel’s Bunk’d. Along with roles on such popular TV series as New Girl, Criminal Minds, and Shut Eye, Arenas has also stepped into several film roles — including the upcoming Comedy release Wyrm. Additionally, he is set to play the role of Alex Kimball on ABC’s For The People.
A comedian, music lover, and entertainer wise beyond his years, Arenas recently sat down to give an overview of his career to date, as well as to discuss some of his many upcoming projects, and much more.
Cryptic Rock – Nathan, you’ve been acting for nearly four years now, since you were ten-years-old. That’s impressive! What made you want to become an actor?
Nathan Arenas – I’ve always loved the arts and the idea of being on TV. I think what inspired that idea of wanting to become an actor was watching comedians on TV and wondering what it’s like to do what they do in front of all those cameras.
Cryptic Rock – Good for you for pursuing that interest so early on in life! Now, before you landed your first role, I’m sure you had big dreams about what acting would be like. Is it anything like what you expected?
Nathan Arenas – Acting is way more fun than I had ever thought of! I love it so much and I hope to keep acting forever.
Cryptic Rock – That’s wonderful that it’s everything you hoped for. However, let’s be honest: in order for you to be able to succeed in acting, you must have great support from your mom. What has she taught you that has helped you with your career?
Nathan Arenas – My mom is definitely my biggest supporter, and she is a wonderful person. One thing that she has taught me is to never forget where I came from and to always remember to keep myself humble.
Cryptic Rock – Your mom is wise: those are important things to remember. Okay, so you’ve acted in TV series as well as films. When it comes to your acting, do you have a preference for movies or TV?
Nathan Arenas – I love working on both movies and TV shows, but I really like the atmosphere of working on TV sets.
Cryptic Rock – That’s great since you’ve done most of your work in TV. In fact, you’ve had roles on Criminal Minds, Shut Eye and New Girl, just to name a few shows. These are shows that people twice your age would love to be cast in. What was it like for you and were you at all nervous to be on set?
Nathan Arenas – I wasn’t really nervous on any of those sets, it was more excitement and happiness. I was a bit nervous while auditioning. It’s great to see how everyone treats each other and how they work together on sets that have been ongoing for years.
Cryptic Rock – The fact that you weren’t nervous is impressive. Speaking of auditions, it has been said that in your very first audition ever you landed the role of Jorge Ramirez in the Disney Channel’s Bunk’d. That’s amazing! What was it like for you to get that role and really start your career?
Nathan Arenas – When I got the call from my agent I didn’t quite believe what was happening until the day after. When I got to work at that table read with everyone it kinda hit me like, “Whoa, I’m on Disney now!”
Cryptic Rock – That has to have been quite a moment to celebrate! Speaking of Bunk’d, is your character Jorge anything at all like the real Nathan?
Nathan Arenas – Jorge is a bit like me when it comes to his imagination: we both believe a lot of different things and love making things up.
Cryptic Rock – Having a great imagination is a special thing, especially for an entertainer. Now Bunk’d is obviously set at a summer camp. Have you ever been to summer camp?
Nathan Arenas – I have actually never been to summer camp but I might want to in the near future with a few acting friends.
Cryptic Rock – That would be very interesting to see what a real camp is like and compare the two experiences. To move onward, you’ve recently finished filming the upcoming movie Wyrm. What can you tell us about it and your role, specifically?
Nathan Arenas – I’m Wyrm’s sister’s friend who picks on Wyrm a lot, and my character is a bit new to what’s going on at their school.
Cryptic Rock – That should be an interesting film to catch. Also, you play Alex Kimball in the series For The People. What is Alex like and what is your episode about?
Nathan Arenas – Alex is an honest kid who wants everything to be okay. He is a kid who gets in some trouble and you’ll have to watch the rest to find out! (Laughs)
Cryptic Rock – (Laughs) Okay, well, we are curious to learn much more about Alex. When you are not busy acting, what do you like to do?
Nathan Arenas – When I’m not busy acting I love to play music and draw. I play many different instruments and sometimes jam with a friend.
Cryptic Rock – That’s amazing. You are multi-talented, Nathan! Speaking of music, do you have a favorite band or favorite type of music?
Nathan Arenas – I love listening to everything from the late ‘50s to the ‘60s, especially Rock like Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, and Chuck Berry.
Cryptic Rock – Wow! It’s impressive for someone your age to already be into the classics. Good for you! What’s next for Nathan Arenas in 2019?
Nathan Arenas – I’ve done a lot of animated series that I can’t really talk about.
Cryptic Rock – That’s perfectly okay, but we still look forward to seeing them once they’re released. Now, let’s get a little more serious. Being a teenager is very hard and other people can be very mean, especially if you’re even a little bit different – and being a young actor makes you different. Do you have any advice for other people who are being treated poorly just for being a little different?
Nathan Arenas – Being different is what makes you you! You are not like anyone else and that makes you special. We have to learn that other people will say what they want to say and that’s that; you can’t change it but that doesn’t mean it has to affect you. We decide if other people’s words make us feel bad or not.
Cryptic Rock – Very sage wisdom, Nathan. Last question, do you like Horror and/or Sci-Fi and, if so, do you have any favorite movies?
Nathan Arenas – I love Horror and Sci-Fi movies! Some of my favorite Horror films are A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), The Nun (2018), and Annabelle (2014). Some of my favorite Sci-Fi films are the Back to the Future movies, Star Wars movies, Alien (1979), Matrix (1999), and The Terminator (1984).
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