WRITTEN BY FRANCESA JANA SANTIAGO

Brandon Perea continues to make history, starting out as the world’s youngest professional skater to now being the first Filipino-American lead in a film directed by Jordan Peele! He stars in the latest Sci-Fi Horror Nope as Angel Torres- a breakout role for the actor, one so rewarding as it impressed the Oscar-winning director so much that it caused him to rewrite the entire script just so he could cast Perea. However, this isn’t a case of an overnight success.

“This is a tough art form to really break into”, Brandon shares in an exclusive interview with One Down about trading in his skates for acting and struggling with getting booked in the first 3 years. After moving to LA from Chicago, Brandon was eventually given a part in the mystery drama series The OA yet shortly after getting canceled, he went back to having a dry patch in his career. Fortunately, this wasn’t enough to make Perea give up and soon he was asked to submit a self-tape audition for what back then was known as “an untitled Jordan Peele project.”

Landing a role in Nope is not only a major win for Brandon but a win for Filipino representation as well. While the role of Angel isn’t much of an embodiment of our culture, the fact that a Fil-Am individual was granted an opportunity by the industry in a large-scale setting, is already a jumpstart to paving the way for more Filipinos to work on and behind the camera. For more on-set details and inspirational advice from the star, check out our Represented video with him on our YouTube channel!