Brandon Perea(born May 25, 1995) is an American actor and professionaljamskater,best known for his performance as Alfonso "French" Sosa onThe OAand hisbreakthrough roleof Angel Torres inJordan Peele's 2022 science fiction horror filmNope.[1][2]
Brandon Perea | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 25, 1995 Schaumburg, Illinois,U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2016–present |
Early life
editPerea was born inSchaumburgand raised throughoutChicago.He has an older brother, Mike, and a younger brother, Jordan.[3]He is ofFilipinoandPuerto Ricandescent.[4]
He has beenbreakdancingsince he was a kid, his father being a breakdancer,[5]and would become the youngest-ever pro Jamskater.[6][7]From the ages of 14 to 16, he traveled the United States performing in roller rinks a mashup ofdisco-style skatingwith modern breakdance.[8]He moved out at the age of 16, with permission from his parents, to pursue his dreams inLos Angelesof acting.[9]
In 2012, Perea made an appearance on theNickelodeonshowFigure It Out,performing as a Jamskater, where he won the grand prize of a trip to theGreat Wolf Lodge.[10]He would also appear on the tenth season of thereality competitionshowAmerica's Got Talentwith his jam skating crew, Honor Roll.[5][11]The group made it the Judge Cuts round, however was eliminated before Quarterfinals.[12][13]
Career
editPerea was discovered by a talent manager at a skating convention inLas Vegas,whom asked him to audition for a movie. Although he did not get the role, it eventually led to his first gig years later.[14]Perea began his acting career playing Alfonso "French" Sosa on theNetflixmysterydramaseriesThe OA.He continued in this role from 2016 to the show's cancellation in 2019.[15]He also had his first minor movie role in the 2016 comedy dramaDance Camp,which was released ontoYoutube Red.[3]
In 2020, Perea had a guest star role inDC'sDoom Patroltelevision series asthe Terrible Doctor Tyme,a clock-headed villain who uses a time-altering space mineral to throw roller disco parties.[16][17]
In 2022, he was cast as Romy Faith in the dramaThe Faith of Long Beach,set to be directed by Eric Amadio. As of 2024, the film is still in pre-production and unclear if it will continue.[18]
Perea got his breakout role in 2022 withJordan Peele's Americanwesternscience fiction horror film,Nope.His cast mates includedDaniel Kaluuya,Keke Palmer,andSteven Yeun.Peele originally wrote the character of Angel Torres as a "happy-go-lucky" geek-like character until Perea was cast as the character, who wanted to expand upon the character and portray him as more grounded.[19]Peele, who found Perea's audition portrayal more compelling, altered and expanded the script to create a larger character for him.[20]Perea was praised for his performance, being named a "scene stealer" for his comedic relief and depth.[21][22]Screen Rant's Ben Kendrick called his portrayal of Angel Torres a "stand-out" among the supporting cast.[23]The performance earned him a selection as a Breakthrough Artist at the 2022BAFTA's.[24][25]
In 2024, Perea portrayedtornado wranglerBoone in the summerblockbusterTwisters,a stand-alone sequel to the1996 film.He starred alongsideDaisy Edgar-Jones,Glen Powell,andAnthony Ramos.[26]He also had a small role in the 2024horrorsuspensefilmAmp House Massacre,playing Niko.[27]
He is set to appear inKogonada'sromantic fantasy filmA Big Bold Beautiful Journey,alongsideMargot RobbieandColin Farrell.The film is to release May 9, 2025.[28][29]
Personal life
editPerea's main talents include acting,jamskating,dancing, andBMXing.He is also trained in boxing,Muay Thai,andMMA.[30]
Filmography
edit| † | Denotes productions that have not yet been released |
Film
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Dance Camp | Kenton | |
| 2021 | American Insurrection | Arjay | |
| 2022 | Nope | Angel Torres | |
| 2024 | Twisters | Boone | |
| Amp House Massacre | Niko | ||
| 2025 | A Big Bold Beautiful Journey† | Post-production | |
| TBA | The Faith of Long Beach† | Romy Faith | Pre-production[31] |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Figure It Out | Self - Jam Skater | Episode: "Rollerskates & Worm Races" |
| 2015 | America's Got Talent | Self - Honor Roll Skate Crew | Episode: "1002," "1010" |
| 2016–2019 | The OA | Alfonso "French" Sosa | Main role (12 episodes)[32] |
| 2020 | Doom Patrol | Dr. Jonathan Tyme | Episode: "Tyme Patrol" |
Music videos
edit| Year | Song | Role | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | "One Day" | Diego | Logic,Ryan Tedder |
| 2021 | "Yours" | Himself | Maye |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | British Academy of Film and Television Arts | U.S. Breakthrough | Nope | — | [24] |
References
edit- ^"We Need To Talk About The Hottest Character In" The OA "".BuzzFeed.6 January 2017.Retrieved16 March2019.
- ^"Brandon Perea Is A Scene Stealer In Nope, So Now We Want Him In Everything"./Film.23 July 2022.Retrieved23 July2022.
- ^abWakeman, Gregory (28 July 2022)."From roller rinks to R-rated movies".Chicago Reader.Retrieved23 August2024.
- ^Manaloto, Nicolo (7 August 2022)."Meet Brandon Perea, the Filipino-Puerto Rican actor who stars in Jordan Peele's latest horror flick, Nope".UnGeek.Retrieved23 August2024.
- ^abRamos, Dino-Ray (21 July 2022)."Brandon Perea Talks His Road To 'Nope', Jam Skating, Alien Existence And Impact Of Jordan Peele's Inclusive Cinematic Universe".DIASPORA.Retrieved23 August2024.
- ^Davids, Brian (18 July 2024)."'Twisters' Star Brandon Perea on the Daunting Task of Following Philip Seymour Hoffman and Why 'The OA' Isn't Over to Him Yet ".The Hollywood Reporter.Retrieved23 August2024.
- ^Miller, Stuart (28 January 2023)."'Nope' Scene Stealer Brandon Perea on How His Character Changed the WGA-Nominated Script ".Variety.Retrieved23 August2024.
- ^LeBlanc, Pam (24 September 2012)."Brandon Perea jams it up at the skating rink".Austin American-Statesman.Retrieved24 August2024.
- ^Dougherty, Taylor (20 January 2017)."Man On The Rise: Brandon Perea – Contrast Magazine".Retrieved24 August2024.
- ^Rollerskates & Worm Races,Figure It Out, Jeff Sutphen, Elle Young, Lorenz Arnell, 3 July 2012,retrieved23 August2024
{{citation}}:CS1 maint: others (link) - ^Ridley-Teal, Alice (18 February 2016)."SpinnerZ To Hold Jam Skating Competition Feb. 19th & 20th".The City Menus.Retrieved24 August2024.
- ^Ray, Lincee (3 June 2015)."'America's Got Talent' recap: 'Audition 2'".EW.com.Retrieved24 August2024.
- ^Taylor, Leah (17 August 2016)."Rollin' with the Homies: Honor Roll Skate Crew Gives us the 411".Flavorwire.Retrieved24 August2024.
- ^Minutaglio, Rose (30 May 2024)."Brandon Perea on His 'Brotherhood' Bond With Glen Powell and Being Labeled the 'New Hot Boy'".ELLE.Retrieved23 August2024.
- ^Adeyemi, Boluwatife (22 July 2024).""Feeling It's Not Over": Controversially Cancelled Netflix Show's Future Gets Hopeful Update From Star ".ScreenRant.Retrieved23 August2024.
- ^Stussie, Andrew (20 June 2020)."Doom Patrol Season 2 Photos Reveal The Super Weird Dancing (?) Villain, Dr. Tyme".ScreenRant.Retrieved24 August2024.
- ^Abdulbaki, Mae (25 June 2020)."'Doom Patrol' Season 2's bizarre new villain, explained ".Inverse.Retrieved24 August2024.
- ^Grobar, Matt (24 March 2022)."'The Faith Of Long Beach': 'Nope's Brandon Perea To Star Alongside Common In Boxing Drama From 'Snowfall' Co-Creator Eric Amadio ".Deadline.Retrieved23 August2024.
- ^Buchanan, Kyle (27 July 2022)."Why Brandon Perea's 'Nope' Audition Made Jordan Peele Cry".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved23 August2024.
- ^Casio, Jerome (18 November 2022)."Jordan Peele Reveals Heartwarming Video Of Moment Nope Star Was Cast".ScreenRant.Retrieved23 August2024.
- ^Cruz, Clarissa (23 July 2022)."'Nope' scene stealer Brandon Perea: 'No one's going to expect this'".EW.com.Retrieved23 August2024.
- ^Wittmer, Carrie (27 July 2022)."'Nope' Scene-Stealer Brandon Perea Says Jordan Peele Rewrote the Character Around Him ".GQ.Retrieved23 August2024.
- ^Kendrick, Ben (20 July 2022)."Nope Review: A Haunting & Humorous Twist On Hollywood Sci-Fi".ScreenRant.Retrieved24 August2024.
- ^abYossman, K. J. (10 November 2022)."'Heartstopper' DP Diana Olifirova, 'Nope' Star Brandon Perea Among BAFTA Breakthrough Cohort 2022 ".Variety.Retrieved23 August2024.
- ^Ritman, Alex (17 November 2022)."How BAFTA Breakthrough Is Helping Rising Stars in the U.S. Propel Their Careers to the Next Level".The Hollywood Reporter.Retrieved23 August2024.
- ^Jackson, Angelique (12 May 2023)."'Nope' Star Brandon Perea Joins 'Twisters' (EXCLUSIVE) ".Variety.Retrieved23 August2024.
- ^DeFellipo, Michael (29 June 2024)."Review: 4 Digital Media's Amp House Massacre".Horror Society.Retrieved23 August2024.
- ^Kroll, Justin (3 May 2024)."Billy Magnussen, Sarah Gadon And Hamish Linklater Among Those Rounding Out Cast Of Imperative And Sony's 'A Big Bold Beautiful Journey'".Deadline.Retrieved23 August2024.
- ^"Margot Robbie, Colin Farrell Romantic Fantasy 'A Big Bold Beautiful Journey' Sets Mother's Day 2025 Release".Yahoo Entertainment.15 August 2024.Retrieved23 August2024.
- ^Wally, Maxine (15 September 2022)."'Nope' Star Brandon Perea Has Had Enough of Mid Culture ".W Magazine.Retrieved24 August2024.
- ^"'The Faith Of Long Beach': 'Nope's Brandon Perea To Star Alongside Common In Boxing Drama From 'Snowfall' Co-Creator Eric Amadio ".Deadline Hollywood.24 March 2022.
- ^"Two years later, The OA returns for Part II".Techaeris.27 February 2019.Retrieved16 March2019.