Being in the spotlight of a Broadway stage is so much more than just an accomplishment. It’s an opportunity to represent a community and show the importance of diversity in performing.
Broadway actor Juan Carlos discovered his passion for acting a little later than many performers. He always loved the creative arts, but it wasn’t until he was 14, when his sister introduced him to musical theatre, that he discovered his love for acting.
“My first audition was terrible,” Carlos said. “I fell during the dance call and had no stage presence, but I immediately felt the rush of live theater. Even though I didn’t get the part, I knew I wanted to figure it out.”
Finding his passion for acting helped give Carlos the determination for his next audition, where he ended up getting cast.
“I was the youngest person in the cast, and anytime someone was absent, I would say, ‘Let me jump in,’” Carlos said. “That mindset led to me understudying two roles and performing them during the show’s run. It was just children’s theatre, but it meant the world to me.”
Carlos attended a small liberal arts school where he majored in theatre with an emphasis in acting.
“What I learned most from college was outside the classroom, through conversations with my peers and navigating important social issues,” Carlos said. “Being at a predominantly White institution during the pandemic and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement taught me the importance of speaking up for myself and others in an educational space.”
Originally from Miami, Carlos moved to Los Angeles to pursue his career in acting.
“When I moved to L.A., I had no representation and no idea how to navigate the industry,” Carlos said. “I moved during the SAG-AFTRA strike and wondered if I had made the right choice, but I kept that same mindset. I knew one person in LA, so we made a short film together, and that reel helped me get my first three TV jobs.”
In March 2025, Carlos made his Broadway debut in “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” as Bob Newby in the original Broadway cast production in New York City.
“I grew up a huge fan of ‘Stranger Things’ since the day it came out. I was about 13 or so, and I was just so enamored by it. To be part of the universe now, and to be playing a character like Bob Newby, who I loved watching growing up, is the greatest honor of my life,” Carlos said.
The audition process was an experience full of callbacks, chemistry reads and waiting.
“I got contacted about a month before rehearsals and was asked to submit a self-tape for a last-minute casting for Bob,” Carlos said. “After weeks of waiting, I got a call from my manager asking me to fly to New York the next day for a chemistry read.”
After the final decision that went to Netflix and the Duffer Brothers, Carlos later received the call that he had booked the role.
“Around 6 or 7 p.m., I got a call from the casting director telling me, ‘Unfortunately, you’re not going back to L.A. tomorrow,’” Carlos said. “About 12 hours later, I found out that I got the role and then I was at my first Broadway rehearsal.”
Aside from Broadway, Carlos is also a film and TV actor, as well as a director, where he has appeared on screen in various projects.
“When I was directing, I learned that your job is to surround yourself with talented people who can help bring a vision to life. As an actor, whether it’s on stage or on screen, the goal is the same: telling the story authentically,” Carlos said.
As a Latino actor, representation is incredibly important to Carlos, and he is grateful for the opportunity to bring his culture to the stage.
“It means the world to me to represent my culture on stage,” Carlos said. “I’ve had people come to the stage door and tell me how much it means to see someone like me on that stage.”
Carlos will continue his run as Bob Newby in “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” until the production closes on Jan. 3, 2027 at the Marquis Theatre.
