Fil-Am actor Nico Santos shares quite a lot with his ‘Happiness for Beginners’ character
Fil-Am actor Nico Santos is no newbie when it comes to happiness | Photo from BeautifulBallad/Twitter
From “Crazy Rich Asians” to “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”, the growing list on his IMDb resume proves that 44-year-old Filipino-American actor Nico Santos is a talent to be reckoned with.
Akin to life’s twists and turns and unpredictability, Santos’ career arc started when he first worked as a dresser for a theater company before landing his very first acting role.
Fast forward to today, the “Superstore” actor is currently starring as Hugh in the Netflix film”Happiness for Beginners”
This movie adaptation from the 2015 novel of the same name revolves around Helen (Ellie Kemper) as she hits the Appalachian Trail on a self-discovery quest after her divorce. And it’s here where she meets the oddball crew that includes Hugh, who is arguably one of the most unforgettable characters.
‘Happiness For Beginners’: Ellie Kemper, Luke Grimes, Nico Santos & Blythe Danner To Star In Netflix Rom-Com https://t.co/BzbaNxAUIW
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) October 4, 2021
In an exclusive interview with BeautifulBallad, Santos shares some details about how they tweaked Hugh’s character from the book version.
“I was still in the midst of my pandemic body. I was like, ‘No one’s going to believe I’m a marathon runner, honey.’ So we were able to really tweak the character a little bit and adapt it in certain ways.”
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Santos’ expression is always notable and on-point, as seen in his other movies and TV shows. His role as Hugh is one of the characters with the best facial expressions, and he confirmed that sans saying anything. “‘I’m going to let them know without saying a word.’ I think it’s just my natural instinct and it seems to work so people really like it.”
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He also advised that if you’re in the middle of a crisis and not sure what to do, all you need is a reset. “Just watch and see how somebody navigates that journey. And maybe you can find your own answers by watching somebody’s journey like that.”
Just like all rising stars, this has been a busy year for Santos. In as much as he wanted to be in great shape, a recent interview with TFC revealed that he had some severe eye problems that led to his right eye’s blindness.
But like his character, he’s not one to back down. His mom, partner (and now husband) Zeke Smith from “Survivor” and fans were also with him during these trying times.
Nevertheless, here’s a toast to this talented actor. After all, life is just a series of ups and downs. We all bounce back eventually.
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