Rafael Casal

Rafael Casal
Born	Rafael Santiago Casal (1985-08-08)August 8, 1985 Berkeley, California
Education	Berkeley High School
Occupations	Writer poet producer showrunner actor musician
Years active	2008–present

Rafael Santiago Casal(born August 8, 1985) is an American writer, rapper, producer, director, actor, musician, and showrunner originally from theSan Francisco Bay Area.

Early life

Casal grew up in Berkeley and Oakland, California. He was expelled fromBerkeley High Schoolafter two years but earned his diploma through an alternative independent study program.Casal later designed and served as creative director of theUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison’sFirst WaveSpoken Word and Hip Hop Arts Programme while earning a sociology degree at night.

Casal identifies as Irish, from his mother's side, and Spanish and Cuban from his father's side.

Career

Poetry

At 18, Casal appeared on 3 seasons of HBO'sDef Poetry Jamwhile touring, performing, and teaching nationwide with YouthSpeaks. He is a two-time Brave New Voice Poetry Slam Festival champion.

Music

Casal has released several mixtapes online,includingAs Good As Your Word(2008),Monster(2009), andMean Ones(2012). He also collaborated with best friendDaveed DiggsandChinaka Hodgeto releaseThe Getback Mixtape, vol. 1(2007) andThe BAY BOY Mixtape(2010) as the Getback Productions Crew.

In 2018, Casal and Diggs released theCollinandMilesEPs to accompany their filmBlindspotting.

Theater

Casal and Diggs co-founded the BARS workshop at thePublic Theaterin New York City.The workshops serve as a platform for artists to explore and enhance their craft by merging contemporary verse with theatre.

Film and television

In 2018, Casal andDaveed Diggsreleased their movie,Blindspotting.The duo wrote, produced, and starred in the film, which uses verse to tell the story ofOakland, California.

In 2020, the movie was adapted as a comedy-dramaseries of the same name.Casal reprised his role as Miles and served as co-writer, director, executive producer, and showrunner.The series premiered at theTribeca Film Festivalon June 11, 2021, and began streaming onstarzon June 13, 2021. Season 2 premiered atSXSWin March 2023 and began streaming on April 14, 2023.In September 2023 Blindspotting was cancelled.

Casal has also appeared in supporting roles inBad Education,The Good Lord Birdand the second revival ofAre You Afraid of the Dark?In 2023 he appeared as X-5/Brad Wolfe in thesecond seasonof the seriesLoki.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2010	Ricochet in Reverse	Dylan Klebold	YouTube Short
2014	The Away Team	Cal	Web series; also creator, producer, director
2018	Blindspotting	Miles	Also co-producer, co-writer
2018	Rachel Dratch's Late Night Snack	Elliot	Season 2 Episode 7
2019	Stucco	Throne - Crowning Arm	Short
2019	Bad Education	Kyle Contreras
2019	Are You Afraid of the Dark?	Mr. Top Hat	Miniseries
2020	The Good Lord Bird	General John Cook	Miniseries
2021	Blindspotting	Miles	Also executive producer, director, and writer
2023	Loki	Hunter X-5 / Brad Wolfe	Season 2
2023	Wildcat	O.E. Parker	Appears in 9 minute Vignette “Parker’s back”