Exclusive Interview: Jan Luis Castellanos on ‘Uglies,’ Bringing Croy to Life, and the Possibility of More Films

Jan Luis Castellanos is one of the industry’s most exciting young talents, celebrated for infusing vulnerability and depth into his performances in projects like 13 Reasons Why, Tall Girl 2, and Bridge and Tunnel.

This September, Jan Luis stars in the highly-anticipated book-to-film adaptation of Uglies. Set in a futuristic world where cosmetic surgery at sixteen is mandatory, the story follows Tally, who is eager for her turn to join society. But when her friend runs away, Tally embarks on a journey to save her, unraveling everything she thought she wanted. Jan Luis captivates as Croy, a pivotal character who challenges Tally’s beliefs and plays a crucial role in her transformation.

Pop Culturalist had the pleasure of catching up with Jan Luis to discuss Uglies, his interpretation of Croy, and the potential for the franchise to continue unfolding on screen.

PC: You have such a longstanding relationship with Netflix. You’ve got a new project coming out on the streamer. What was it about the Uglies script that resonated with you as well as this character?
Jan Luis: As you said, I’ve been working with Netflix for quite some time. That was definitely part of it—to continue that relationship. With Uglies, it was the intensity. This is the second time that I’ve jumped onto a project that was a book adaptation. The first was 13 Reasons Why, but I came in later in the seasons. The book ends at the first season and continues on. So, this was cool to be part of an adaptation from the very beginning.

It was the intensity of the character and all the action that attracted me to it, and working with Netflix. I really love action. I’ve been playing these high school characters for quite a long time and stuck in those high school hallways fighting. [laughs] But I was definitely more keen on shooting fire out of a helicopter.

PC: It’s so rare that when you sign onto a project, there’s this existing fan base. Did that bring an added sense of pressure or responsibility heading into filming? How helpful was it having McG, who knows the books inside and out, as well as author Scott Westerfeld on as an executive producer? What was that collaboration like?
Jan Luis: Scott’s awesome. He’s such a guys’ guy. We’re both East Coasters—Beasts of the East. It was great just randomly grabbing a drink with him, nonchalantly talking about the book. That was really, really helpful because I got to tap into his creative side and really see how far ahead of his time he was back in ’05 when he wrote this because it makes so much sense today.

McG’s awesome because of his intensity on set. He knows what he wants, and that’s super helpful as a director. For us actors, that’s what we look for. You know the places you need to go, and that’s really important. I enjoyed the hell out of that.

PC: Credit to Scott; his books have only grown in relevancy.
Jan Luis: Yeah. I did feel a bit of pressure in the beginning to tap into this character, but more and more throughout the filming experience, you feel him become a part of you. You feel more comfortable and understand the story that you’re telling. You start seeing this character’s P.O.V. Why is he doing this? The question of whether you’re doing this character justice starts to go away. That was something that kept going through my head. I was like, I hope that I’m going to live up to people’s expectations when it comes to this character and who he is. I wasn’t sure, but then I realized, let me go ahead and find the similarities between him and me, and I’ll stick to being myself and playing to my strengths while being Croy and having his intentions. That’s how I went into it, and that’s how I eased through that process.

PC: In addition to the incredible work that you’ve done on screen, you also mentioned the last time we chatted that you have such a strong affinity for writing. How has that aspect of your craft impacted the way you approach characters and scripts like this, where you have a wealth of text to draw from, whether it’s the source material or the script?
Jan Luis: It’s more information. You take it all in. That’s the pre-preparation aspect. It’s the work you do behind the scenes. You do that before you even get on set. But if I’m being honest, once you’re on set, that all goes away. [laughs] It all goes right out the door. But it’s still part of it. You hold on to it, and that’s what you take with you into a scene. Then, of course, you have McG in your ear. I really, really loved working with him because it’s very rare to find a director who’s truly passionate about the project. He knew what he wanted, and that was so important. I can’t emphasize that enough.

Amidst all the writing, reading, and preparation you do for yourself—like creating a backstory of the character’s life leading up to this point—you need a guide who will help push that forward. That was McG and Scott. You leave it all on set. All the work you do prior to filming goes away, and you see the magic happen, especially when you’re working with the rest of the cast, which is very helpful. When you’re surrounded by a bunch of talented people who also know their characters’ arcs and the story, it’s incredibly helpful. They know their character’s motivations, ambitions, needs, and wants. That’s important because it creates a tug of war between the characters, which is what we were trying to achieve. It’s magic.

PC: You feel that connection.
Jan Luis: Yeah, it’s that chemistry.

PC: Joey [King] spent over a decade trying to get the rights to these books, and you feel that connection.
Jan Luis: That’s a long time.

PC: When you’re playing a beloved character who has lived in another medium, what’s something that you wanted to make sure was translated from the source material? What’s something new that you brought to Croy?
Jan Luis: In the book, Croy had hair. [laughs] There’s no hair in my version. [laughs] I would say authenticity, first and foremost. That’s something I want people to get from my character. He can come off strong and protective, but also loving because that’s what I hoped to get across. You start to ask yourself all these questions when you’re reading the script. You’re like, “How am I going to do this so that it doesn’t come off like Croy’s an a*shole?” But there’s also this sense that he has to protect his family and the people who sacrificed everything to be who and where they are today. If someone comes along and makes me feel uncomfortable or like something is off, I’m going to ask those questions. But at the end of the day, he does forgive, and that’s really important. I wanted that to come across—that he loves people, and you’re not going to mess with my family.

PC: You actually just answered my next question, but the moment when Tally arrives at the Smoke, your character is on guard, understandably so. There’s such a beautiful contrast between his strength in wanting to protect his family and the vulnerability of potentially losing this sanctuary they’ve built together. As an actor, how did you find your way into this character? How did you build that bond with everybody in the Smoke?
Jan Luis: Yeah, like I was just saying, it’s understanding what my character’s motives were. But in terms of building that bond, you have Keith [Powers], Chase [Stokes], Laverne [Cox], Brianne [Tju], Joey, me, and all the Smokies. I felt like I was the bridge between the rest of the Smokies and Keith, Brianne, Chase, and everybody else. I felt like I was a little bit of glue—hanging out a bit with everyone. We’re laughing, we’re having a great time, so we’re naturally building this chemistry. We’re working out; Netflix put a gym on set. The Smokies were the only ones in there. [laughs] But it was awesome.

The Smokies welcome everybody. That’s the whole point of the film. It’s about being yourself and having free will. The Smokies are having real experiences. They’re using their hands and making sure everyone is included and not as “ugly” as they want you to believe you are.

PC: The film does such a beautiful job highlighting and capturing the community of the Smokies and how they show up for one another but also hold each other accountable. For you as an actor and storyteller, who have been the people in your own life who have held space for you in a similar way?
Jan Luis: My mom. In my life, she’s been the person who’s given me room to play, similar to the way a director would say, “This is what I want from you, but also feel free to improvise and feel confident in your choices.” My mom has definitely been a big player in that sense. She’s guided me through this whole process. I can’t thank her enough for allowing me to do what I want to do, but she always reminds me to be responsible for all my actions and holds me accountable.

That’s been so important because I ran away from home to go to Hollywood while I was in the process of studying to become a doctor. These were two completely different career paths. My heart was telling me I’m an artist. My mind was telling me I’m going to be a doctor. I went West to Hollywood to pursue this. That would be a shock to any parent.

But she was happy, especially because I was happy. Of course, she doesn’t understand some of the struggles of auditioning and this and that. I remember when I called her after I booked my first job. It was Marvel’s Runaways. I was crying on the phone. I was like, “I did it.” She was like, “What happened? What did you do?” She was going crazy. She thought I had gotten in trouble or something. [laughs] I told her that I got the job and it’s on Hulu and Disney. It’s a Marvel character. She was so happy. We both just cried on the phone. She’s the person I turn to when I was experiencing those “lonely days” in L.A. at the beginning of my career. It’s my mom. She’s a real one and my day one.

PC: Yeah, only you and the people closest to you know the journey to get to this point.
Jan Luis: Yeah, of course. You have friends and siblings. You share all these experiences with them. And, of course, also my dad. You have this community that believes in you. But there’s that one person who you consider your backbone and couldn’t have done this without. You have people who believe in you, but there’s also that one person who truly believes in you more than you believe in yourself.

PC: Something I’ve always appreciated about you is that you’ve consistently attached yourself to projects that are creating an impact on audiences. There’s always some sort of commentary on the world we’re living in, and so many different messages they can take away. With this film, what do you hope they take away? Is there a theme that resonated more with you?
Jan Luis: That you’re perfect the way you are. We’re not trying to impose any surgeries on anyone. [laughs] It’s the complete opposite. This film is about free will. Your choices are your own, and no one can take that away from you. If you’re happy with who and how you are, then understand that you’re perfect. That’s something that resonated with me in this project. After seeing the final cut, I was like, I’m so happy I did this because it makes even more sense to me now.

You go through life, especially in today’s world with social media, and you’re like, “I want to be perfect and all these things,” but you already are. If you’re going to go ahead and do something to yourself or compare yourself to others, is it worth it? That’s the question you have to ask yourself. Like we were talking about earlier, Scott Westerfeld was so ahead of his time. He wrote this before social media and technology. We’re making a movie that’s literally dependent on technology, comparing yourself to others, and wanting to be “pretty”. For the characters in the film who feel ugly, it’s like you’re in this cold, gray purgatory waiting to be admitted to pretty town. For a moment, you’re like, things are great, but for how long? Then you realize there’s nothing left of you.

PC: We know this is a four-part book series. Have there been any early conversations about adapting the other three for the screen?
Jan Luis: Yeah, with me, myself, and I. [laughs] I spoke with Scott about it. Honestly, we don’t know until the first movie comes out. You just hope that you can continue telling this story. At the end of the day, we actors hope that we can continue doing what we love to do, and that’s telling stories.

I’m excited for the second book because there are a lot of good things in store for Croy. It’s out there. I’m excited to continue exploring this character, and I hope we get to do it. I hope people receive it well. People will understand the message of the film, and as long as they do, I think we’ll be all right. We might come back for another one.

To keep up with Jan Luis, follow him on Instagram. Watch Uglies on September 13th on Netflix.

Photo Credit: Netflix