Most recently on screen, Josh Zaharia played Diego in Billy the Kid – Series 2, Jeffrey in the horror film Lowlifes, and Troy Torres in Series 3 of Resident Alien, and last year, he was part of the TV movies Time for Her to Come Home for Christmas and Big Sky River: The Bridal Path. In The Magic Ghost episodes of Ghostwriter, Josh played Leo El Magnifico, and he played Young Butcher (Karl Urban) in The Boys and Teen Clark (Tyler Hoechlin) in Superman and Lois. Amongst Josh’s screen roles, he has appeared as Todd in the 2021 Disney remake of Under Wraps, guest-starred as Dewey in The Mysterious Benedict Society, and he was in the cast of Christmas Comes Twice, Upside-Down Magic, The Main Event and Gabby Duran & The Unsittables. Josh voices Gabriel in Team Zenko Go on Netflix, and he has filmed for upcoming projects – Saving Christmas and Sidelined: The QB and Me. We recently caught up with Josh about playing Diego in Billy the Kid, filming for Ghostwriter and his time on set of Superman and Lois.
You’ve most recently been seen on screen as Diego in Series 2 of Billy the Kid, what was the show like to work on?
Working on Billy the Kid Season 2 was amazing! It was my first time working on a Western and I had a blast on set. Getting to walk around in a fully-built Western town, horseback ride and get to show more of my Latino side was so exciting! The filming took place in Calgary and it was really, really cold! I’m talking like, -40°C! But that didn’t stop the crew from putting their best foot forward and working under those freezing conditions. Plus, you don’t see many Westerns that take place in the winter, which I thought was really cool and makes this season not only different from the first, but from other Westerns.
How did you find the experience filming for the horror film Lowlifes as Jeffrey?
Working on Lowlifes was so much fun because it gave me the opportunity to play a multi-layered character. When the movie starts, you think it’s going to be your typical horror movie about a family getting stuck in a remote area, but you couldn’t be further from the truth! The story has so many twists and turns throughout and it was exciting to explore every single element of that and be part of those revelations. It was really cool to be on set and get to see all of the practical effects in full use as well as getting to do my own stunts. The rest of the cast was also amazing to work with and we all had a lot of fun on set together! Everyone brought their A game, which made every character feel unique and interesting in their own way. Playing Jeffrey was interesting because he has a clear motivation of getting his father’s approval, leading him to make decisions that impact the rest of the story. I worked with directors Mitch Oliver and Tesh Guttikonda to make Jeffrey the best character we could possibly make him and showing his range of emotions.
Earlier this year, you had a guest role in Series 3 of Resident Alien as Troy Torres, can you tell us about your character and episode?
Resident Alien is such a funny, creative show and getting to join the cast was incredibly exciting! Troy is the son of Lena Torres, who has a romantic relationship with Sheriff Mike, but after a dispute between the two cops, Mike starts to suspect he’s being followed. Throughout the episode, we see Mike grow more and more suspicious until eventually it’s revealed that my character, Troy, is the one following him. I had a lot of fun filming the back and forths with Corey Reynolds and it was really cool to be part of that plotline in the episode. I hope it can get explored more in further seasons.
How was it being part of the TV movies Time for Her to Come Home for Christmas and Big Sky River: The Bridal Path in 2023?
Both movies were great to work on! It’s funny because I play such different characters in both of them.
In Time for Her to Come Home for Christmas, I play Tyler, a kind, thoughtful kid who decides to join the local choir. Throughout the story, we learn about how his father is in the Marines and won’t be able to make it back home for Christmas. The whole cast and crew were just the best! Everyone was so supportive of each other and every character felt unique in a special way.
In contrast, I play Mateo in the sequel Big Sky River: The Bridal Path. He’s an international student who is very full of himself and gets in the way of Erin and Dawson’s relationship. It was great to become a new addition to the cast. I spent most of my days with Orlando Lucas and Cassidy Nugent, who play Dawson and Erin, and they were great! It was really fun to explore that teenage love triangle. I also got to use more of my Spanish, which I always love to include when I can!
What was it like getting into character as Leo El Magnifico in The Magic Ghost episodes of Ghostwriter and what did you enjoy most about playing the role?
What didn’t I enjoy playing!? I had a blast playing Leo El Magnifico! Leo is one of those characters that are super exciting to play. He’s a famous magician from the book by Pablo Cartaya called Leo El MagnĂfico! and he’s teleported into the real world to help solve a mystery. He is a deeply-layered character who goes through a real arc. When we first meet Leo, we think he’s just an egotistical showman. But throughout the course of the series we get a peek behind the curtain, figuring out why he is this way. He made sacrifices to get where he is, but were they worth it? He got everything he ever wanted, but at what cost? Those were just some questions I asked myself when preparing for the character. I worked closely with our director, Luke Matheny, and the author of the book, Pablo Cartaya, to see how we could bring this incredibly emotionally rich character to life. We looked into his motivations all the way down to his small mannerisms. I was also put in magic classes to be able to perform the tricks needed in some scenes of the show. It was truly an unforgettable experience.
You played Young Butcher (Karl Urban) in The Boys and Teen Clark (Tyler Hoechlin) in Superman and Lois, what were these like to film?
I’m the biggest superhero fan you’ll ever meet, so to be able to play the younger version of two iconic comic book characters was a dream come true. With Superman and Lois, being able to play the younger version of a superhero that many people, including myself, look up to was phenomenal and being on set was a blast!
With The Boys Season 3, I’m a fan of the show myself, so it was surreal to be on it! I know fans have wanted to see Butcher’s backstory for so long and it was awesome to be a part of those flashbacks as the young version of Butcher and giving the fans what they want. Working with Karl Urban was also just the best. He has such an attention to detail and really cares about this character. Everyone on set was so friendly, welcoming, and excited to bring those really powerful flashbacks to life in a unique way where fans could sympathise with Butcher and his past struggles. From practicing the stunts, getting advice from Karl, learning the cockney accent, and even going in for my costume fitting, all of it was really, really fun, especially being a big fan of the show.
How was it filming for Disney’s 2021 remake of Under Wraps as Todd and how was it seeing the fan response to the release?
I couldn’t wait to film the remake of one of the very first Disney Channel movies ever when I found out I had booked the role of Todd! Getting to play an antagonistic role that was also a comedic relief was a lot of fun. The thing about Todd is he tries really hard to be intimidating, but he’s not very smart and always gets one upped by others. Getting to act out those scenes was really fun. Our three leads who I get to bully in the film, Malachi Barton, Sophia Hammons and Christian J. Simon are all amazing and were really welcoming when I arrived on set. They really are the ultimate trio! The fan response was also amazing, in due part to our director Alex Zamm, who found a nice balance of honouring the original Disney Channel film and finding a way of standing on its own.
Do you have any favourite memories from guest-starring in the first episode of The Mysterious Benedict Society as Dewey?
The Mysterious Benedict Society was such a cool set to be part of. I remember it was my first project back from the pandemic, so the filming landscape had changed so much. Dewey was also a very fun role to play, being the bad guy of the first episode as everyone goes through these challenges to become members of the Benedict Society. Everyone in the cast was great! I worked mostly with Mystic Inscho, Emmy DeOliveira and I even had a little reunion with Seth Carr, who I had previously worked with on The Main Event. Funny enough, I’m playing the bully of his character in both projects, but in real life we get along so well. The sets were insane! Most things being built for the show, such as the identical rooms scene and the square rooms scene.
Over your acting career so far, you have been involved with other films including Christmas Comes Twice, Upside-Down Magic and The Main Event, and TV shows including Gabby Duran & The Unsittables, can you tell us about some of them?
Working on all of those projects was so exciting and came at the very beginning of my film and TV career. I started with Gabby Duran. I remember the feeling of walking into those built sets and realising this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Fun fact, a lot of the Gabby Duran team worked on Upside-Down Magic, which was also a joy to film and I met so many incredible people on that set. Christmas Comes Twice was also lots of fun, with it being my very first Christmas film, which are movies I loved to watch and now I got to actually be in one! Finally, The Main Event was my very first feature film, where I play one of the main antagonists, school bully Trevor. I got to work alongside a great young cast which included Seth Carr, Momona Tamada, Aryan Simhadri, Dallas Dupree Young, Bodhi Sabongui and Glen Gordon. It’s funny to look back at that film and remember how young we all were! Filming that movie was also really exciting because of the great adult cast we had too like Tichina Arnold, Adam Pally and Ken Marino along with many WWE superstars! I have so many unforgettable memories from each and every one of those projects and I’ll forever be grateful to have been part of them.
As a voiceover actor, you played Gabriel in Team Zenko Go for Netflix, how different did you find this to work on as opposed to your on-screen projects?
Great question! It’s very different, but both are equally amazing. What I found really interesting is that, even though your face isn’t on screen, you still need to emote and put in 100% when doing voiceover. I love Team Zenko Go, the TV show’s whole message is to promote kindness and diversity as well as being very educational to children around the world, teaching valuable lessons.
Where does your love of acting come from and how did you get started in the industry?
Ever since I was young, I’ve loved movies and TV shows, more specifically telling stories. I used to even create my own short films. My parents then asked if I would ever be interested in trying acting out, which I said yes to. After taking some classes, I realised I really enjoyed it and decided to do it professionally. After so many years in the industry, I can confidently say I love it just as much as I did since day one and want to keep doing this for the rest of my life.
What are some of your favourite films and TV shows to watch?
There are so many! For movies, I would have to say I’m a big fan of films such as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Avengers: Infinity War, but I’m also a big fan of more indie films like 500 Days of Summer and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. On the TV show front, I recently watched Baby Reindeer, which I really enjoyed. Other shows I love are Stranger Things, The Boys and Breaking Bad.
How do you like to spend your time away from acting?
There are so many things that I love to do away from acting. First and foremost I’m really into boxing, going to the gym just about every day! It’s a sport I’ve really grown to love in the past few years. Other sports I love to play are basketball and badminton. I also love to write, creating my very own stories that I hope someday I can bring to life on the big screen. Finally, I love to sing and create music!
Have you been given any advice over your career so far that has stuck with you?
It might sound super cliché, but the simple “If you really love it, never give up on your dreams” goes a long way. I think it’s some great advice I’ve received that is not only useful in this industry but also in life. There have been plenty of moments in my life where I’ve faced tough times, but when you truly love something and work hard, you can achieve your dreams.
Do you have any projects coming up that you can talk about and what are you hoping the next few months bring?
There are a couple of projects I can talk about. The first one is a film called Saving Christmas. Which is a story about a kid who wishes Christmas never existed and wakes up the next day, only to realise Christmas is gone! Now he, along with the help of his friend, needs to find a way to bring it back! It’s a fun movie for the whole family! The next one is Sidelined: The QB and Me, based on the extremely popular Wattpad love story. It stars Noah Beck, Siena Agudong, Drew Ray Tanner, James Van Der Beek, among many other amazing people. I’ve already been seeing a lot of fans of the book getting hyped for it and it’s been really fun to film such a special project. It’s coming out later this year in select theatres and Tubi and I can’t wait for everyone to check it out!
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