Over recent years, Gustavo Escobar has had a guest role in Series 6 of Station 19 playing Will and Series 10 of Shameless as Ravi, and he was directed by Steven Spielberg when he played Sal in feature film The Fabelmans, and Gustavo attended the film’s premiere at the American Film Institute Festival. In the 2018 comedy film Instant Family, Gustavo starred as Juan alongside Mark Wahlberg (Pete), Rose Byrne (Ellie), Isabela Merced (Lizzy) and Julianna Gamiz (Lita), and in the same year, he appeared as Jose in thriller film Peppermint, which starred Jennifer Garner as Riley North. Amongst Gustavo’s other screen work, he’s played lead character Nabil in award-winning short film Akeda, been in the cast of Ocean’s Rising and Criminal Minds, and has also worked on a number of commercials over the years. Answering our questions, Gustavo chatted to us about playing Juan in comedy film Instant Family, being directed by Steven Spielberg for The Fabelmans and being part of thriller film Peppermint and award-winning short film Akeda.
In Series 6 of Station 19, you had a guest role in an episode as Will, how would you describe your character and what was the storyline like to work on?
My character, Will, was a part of this friend group that liked to do challenges. In the episode I was in, my friend group decided to do the one chip challenge, which is where we each eat one chip, but it’s an extremely spicy chip. This chip made all of us extremely nauseous and sick. It was pretty fun to film this episode, because I got to pretend to throw up everywhere. Also, the set was cool because it was a huge fire station with fire trucks inside the studio.
How did you find the experience playing Sal in the feature film The Fabelmans and being directed by Steven Spielberg?
I had an excellent experience playing Sal in The Fabelmans, and I had a lot of fun on set. My character in the movie was a part of a friend group, so I was always around my co-stars on set and during breaks, and it was fun getting to know them. Playing Sal was a lot of fun, and being directed by Steven Spielberg was a fantastic experience. It was great to work with someone with as much talent and vision as he has. It was definitely one of my favourite projects I have worked on.
How was it attending the premiere at the American Film Institute Festival, and what was it like seeing the huge success of the release of The Fabelmans?
Attending the premiere at the AFI Festival was such a cool experience because the red carpet was full of all these amazing actors that I got to meet and work with. Watching the movie’s success after the release made me feel so honoured to be part of such an amazing and touching movie.
How much did you know about Shameless before booking your role of Ravi in Series 10 and what was your episode like to be part of?
I knew of the show, but it wasn’t a show my family watched or that I was allowed to watch at the time due to being only 16. Now that I am older, I have binge-watched the first seasons and continue to watch. It’s really a great show!
You played a lead role in the 2018 film Instant Family, can you tell us about your character Juan and what was he like to play?
My character, Juan, was a difficult role to play because of the number of times I needed to cry. Juan was a victim of the foster system and had been through a lot of trauma and abuse in his life, so he was a very fragile character. Almost every scene I had in that movie I was crying in, and for me, crying is one of the hardest parts of acting. However, even when I was crying, I was still having fun, and it was an amazing experience to get to work on that set.
What are some of your favourite memories from working on Instant Family and filming alongside the rest of the cast, which includes Mark Wahlberg, Rose Byrne, Isabela Merced and Julianna Gamiz?
Some of my favourite memories from working on set with my amazing co-stars are the friendships we formed along the way. Everyone was so nice, and Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne were super friendly, which made being on set relaxing and calmed down my nerves, especially during the first week of filming.
Do you remember how you felt finding out you’d booked the role of Juan and what was it like watching the completed film for the first time?
When I first heard that I had booked the role of Juan, I was extremely happy. I remember not being able to stop smiling. When I watched the movie for the first time, it was so surreal, it was so crazy to think that I was a part of this amazing movie. While watching the movie, I was very impressed by how amazingly everything came together.
What do you remember most from your time on set of the thriller film Peppermint (which starred Jennifer Garner as Riley North) and playing Jose?
We filmed late at night, but since I was still very young, I was only able to work until a specific time. LA at night is fantastic and it was great to be out so late. Ms. Garner and Mr. Juan Pablo Raba were great on set; it was an awesome experience to see how they would get ready to do their scenes!
What was it like playing the starring role of Nabil in the award-winning short film Akeda in 2018?
This role was a lot of fun to play because it really challenged me as an actor. I was very young when I did this role, and it was the first project I worked on when I first moved to LA. I had to learn some lines in Arabic, which was very difficult, but the final product turned out great.
Over your acting career so far, you have worked on a number of other projects including Criminal Minds, Real Rob, Being Mary Jane and Ocean’s Rising, can you tell us about some of them?
Ocean’s Rising was a great movie to be part of. I got to meet a lot of actors who became friends afterwards, and we still keep in touch. Criminal Minds was a show that my parents watched a lot, and it was great to see how excited they were to see me on a favourite show – plus, the cast and crew were great!
How did you get into acting, and was it always something you wanted to do professionally?
I got into acting when I was around five years old. My parents were the ones who first signed me up with an agency so I could start going to auditions. Before that, I had no idea what an actor even was. However, after my first couple of projects, I fell in love with acting and realised how fun it is.
Do you have any favourite films and TV shows to watch, and how do you like to spend your free time?
I really enjoy watching The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I always rewatch all three movies with my family every once in a while. I don’t have any favourite TV shows to watch, but right now, I’m watching Severance, and I really love that show. I like to spend my free time doing activities like the gym, or rock climbing, but when it’s hot outside I love going to the beach. The beach is one of my favourite places ever.
Can you say about some of the commercials you have been part of, which have included Walgreens, Walmart and Icy Hot?
I have done many different commercials during my career, and honestly, filming commercials is one of my favourite things to work on. A lot of the time, commercials can be very fun to film, and also, they are very quick. Commercials take under a week to film, and you get to do a lot of fun things while filming commercials.
Is there anything you enjoy most about working in the acting industry?
I would say my favourite part about working in the acting industry is working with other super talented actors who make you act better. There’s nothing better than doing a scene with someone, and their acting is so good it makes you a better actor, and then the scene just flows beautifully, and the final product is always so good.
What are you hoping this year brings for you, and do you have any upcoming projects that you can talk about?
I hope this year brings me a lot of opportunities. I currently don’t have any upcoming projects, but I am continuing to go out on auditions and taking classes to practice my acting. That way, I can take full advantage of all the opportunities I am given this year.
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