Raphael Alejandro: “The experiences I’ve had both on and off set have allowed me to approach acting from a completely different perspective”

At 17, Raphael Alejandro has one of the most successful acting careers of his generation. ‘Incoming’, ‘Bunk’d’, and ‘Acapulco’ are some of his most well-known works that have captivated thousands of viewers of all ages.

At just 4 years old, Raphael Alejandro began his acting career, and a couple of years later, in 2013, he landed his first role as Roland, the son of Robin Hood and Marian, in the series ‘Once Upon a Time’. Recently, in August, he premiered his new Netflix film ‘Incoming’, alongside actors such as Isabella Ferreira, Mason Thames, and Loren Gray. The comedy follows a group of four teenagers who face one of their biggest challenges: their first high school party. An experience that turns into complete chaos and doesn’t end as they expected. Raphael Alejandro describes ‘Incoming’ as a totally hilarious comedy, and what drew him to the role was the journey that Connor, his character, and Eddie (Ramon Reed) go through, as well as how fun and unique it was compared to other bold teen comedies he had seen. Above all, he emphasises that the topics addressed in the film are very important for this new generation of teenagers: “The four main characters experience situations where they learn to be themselves, understand their limits, stand up for themselves, and do things for themselves instead of for others. I think the film portrays the challenges of adolescence through a fresh lens by having actors who are the same age in real life as their characters on screen, which isn’t often the case in this genre.” Raphael adds that when the film premiered, he received many comments about how relatable and real the characters felt. Specifically, he mentions that he got a lot of feedback on his character and how many people could identify with him regarding their own late adolescence, just like he himself did.

The Canadian actor has also recently returned to his role as Hugo in the fourth season of ‘Acapulco’ and reflects a little on how his character has evolved: “Hugo has evolved in the same way that the audience does throughout a show. He’s learned more about the difficult and unpredictable life of his uncle, and he’s started to care more about him through these stories. He has understood how much his uncle needs to face the challenges of his past in order to be happy and move forward.” He hasn’t yet received the script for the new season, but Raphael teases fans to stay tuned because updates will be coming soon.

If there’s one character Raphael Alejandro holds dear, it’s the role of Matteo in ‘Bunk’d’, which he played for several seasons until 2021. The actor says that growing up while playing Matteo was a huge part of his life and an experience as memorable as it was fun. “Not only was it an honour to be in one of Disney Channel’s longest-running shows, but being on ‘Bunk’d’ allowed me to experience the most chaotic events. Sliding down a real oatmeal slide, jumping in a bouncy castle with water shooting out from inside, being covered in a smoothie-like substance, or learning how to DJ pushed me to do things I might not have done otherwise.” Playing Matteo not only pushed Raphael to live new experiences, but also led him to discover a different format from what he was used to: “As an actor who started in dramas like ‘Once Upon a Time’, I wasn’t very familiar with the way multicam comedy worked. Being on ‘Bunk’d’ allowed me to expand my horizons and learn that the same art can be done in many different ways.”

Looking back at his first job in ‘Once Upon a Time’, Raphael Alejandro reflects on how his approach to acting has changed in the 13 years he’s been active: “Like any young actor, we start this profession as something that seems fun. Then, we become more dedicated and want to pursue it as a passion. Over time, it starts to transform into an expression of art and passion. When I was 5 years old on ‘Once Upon a Time’, I approached acting in a very instinctive way: I learned my lines and let my instincts guide me in the scenes. As I grew older, I began to want to understand the motivations and let them guide my performances, especially when the character was different from me. So, I think my acting has changed enormously. Not only has the reason why I keep acting changed, but the experiences I’ve had on and off set have allowed me to approach acting from a completely different perspective.”

In addition to experiences, Raphael says that another factor that has shaped his acting up to this point has been the great actors he’s had the opportunity to work with or interact with: “I was lucky enough to talk to one of my idols, Bryan Cranston. His sheer experience and acting talent are incredibly inspiring, not to mention his life story. I learned many valuable lessons about how to analyse characters, which has made me better at my craft.” The young american actor has also worked with actors like Salma Hayek and Eugenio Derbez in ‘How to Be a Latin Lover’, or with Emily Blunt, Paul Giamatti, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in ‘Jungle Cruise’: “These are experiences I’m extremely grateful for and I continue to use the lessons I learned from them every day.”

Having such a successful career at a young age, it’s easy to imagine it must be difficult for Raphael to balance his personal and professional life in the entertainment industry. He tells us that it hasn’t always been easy. His passion for acting, his family and friends, and his education are things he constantly has to balance in his daily life. He tries to plan as much as possible in advance, but he admits that the acting business is very unpredictable and often requires improvisation or making sacrifices: “There are friends I haven’t been able to spend much time with, school days I’ve had to miss, or personal birthdays I couldn’t celebrate. But I wouldn’t change it for anything. It can be a difficult effort, but over the years, I’ve developed different strategies that make everything easier and more efficient.”

As a member of Generation Z and a fashion lover, Raphael Alejandro has a unique perspective on style: “Generation Z is very diverse in terms of perspectives, especially regarding style. There’s no shortage of different styles and opinions, and being part of it makes me much more open to exploring styles. That has allowed me to step into another realm of fashion that I hadn’t tried before, and being open to that is, I believe, the most important part of being a true fashionista (which I consider myself to be, lol).”

He also explains the relationship he sees between his personal style and his acting: “My style has defined me in my personal life, but it has also filtered into my acting career. A little nod in ‘Incoming’ is that the ring my character wears was actually a ring of my own that I wear a lot. I wore it during the costume fitting, and the directors, John and Dave Chernin, loved it. So, my personal style found its way into my acting career.”

Besides his passion for acting, Raphael Alejandro is a strong advocate for environmental justice, a cause he became familiar with while filming ‘Jungle Cruise’ on the Hawaiian island of Kauai: “At 10 years old, I still hadn’t fully grasped the fact that we have a huge but unique planet, which we’ve been abusing for quite some time. When I spoke to the natives who came to bless our set, they made me more aware of the pollution in our oceans, and since then, I’ve been passionate to reduce our planet’s pollution.” The actor believes that the best way to balance his interests and his career is to make sure they’re not kept separate. Bringing his passion through acting and using his platform as an actor to raise awareness is the best way to highlight the urgency of this issue.

This isn’t the only cause the Canadian actor supports, as he also collaborates with the Susan G. Komen Foundation, raising awareness about breast cancer research, stemming from his mother’s diagnosis with this disease when he was just 2 years old: “It was devastating and painful for both my mother and the whole family. My mother is a survivor and a healthy woman. But although it made us stronger, it was an incredibly difficult experience that affects many families besides mine. Working with Susan G. Komen has been crucial in raising awareness, encouraging donations for research, and letting people see how heartbreaking this diagnosis can be.” Raphael hopes that his impact encourages others to join the cause, not only those who have been affected but especially those who haven’t.

Despite having roles that span all sorts of genres, Raphael confesses there are some he still wants to explore: “The genre I’d most like to explore in the future is horror. It would be a big step as an actor because I’ve never done anything like that. Another genre I’d love to explore is thrillers. Similar to horror, but different enough that if I only did horror films, I’d feel like I’m missing out on the beautiful subtleties that make suspense films so uniquely realistic.”

What Raphael Alejandro has experienced recently, however, is working as a voice actor: “You can see me in the new DreamWorks film, ‘The Wild Robot’, as Peck. While I can’t reveal much about my character, I’ll say that he’s one of the funniest characters I’ve ever done in voiceover because I got to do a voice that’s so different from mine, almost to the point where I’m not sure people will recognise me!” This isn’t his only upcoming voice project, as we will also see Raphael in the upcoming Cartoon Network series ‘Invincible Fight Girl’ as Dave. The actor says that he grew up watching Cartoon Network, so being part of one of their projects was amazing.

He concludes the interview by sharing his future plans in acting: “I love writing, particularly scripts and poems. So, continuing to write scripts is definitely in my future plans. I also enjoy producing my own projects. I’ve already produced some, and I can’t wait to keep doing it. Obviously, I love acting, so whatever the future holds for me, I always want to keep acting and pursuing my career and passion as an actor.”

Credits:
Photography: Lauren Grey
Styling: Veta Adrion
MUAH: Juanita Lyon x Celestine Agency