Establishing yourself as a young actor is notoriously difficult, but Nicolas Cantu has had his fair share of success. But right now his burgeoning career may be in jeopardy.
On Nov. 16 Cantu called popular YouTuber Dream “an actual pedophile” on social media, with Dream responding with a video of an apparently inebriated Cantu in an Uber making a series of threats and homophobic and ableist slurs. Dream also alleges Cantu had assaulted him on a previous occasion and again on the night in question.
This social media feud is still underway but, with Dream continuing to produce receipts, it’s not looking great for Cantu. But, with all that said, let’s look over what may well end up being the all-time highlights of Cantu’s career.
1. The Amazing World of Gumball
Cartoon Network’s The Amazing World of Gumball has all the charm and cleverness that made previous shows like Adventure Time a classic. The animated series follows the titular Gumball, an anthropomorphic blue cat, and his siblings as they get into hijinks around town. Cantu voices the title character whose charisma and humor carry the show.
The series is — for lack of a better term — an amazing introduction to animation, as the show never sticks to one particular style. And for the adults, the references and meta-humor work on multiple levels. The Amazing World of Gumball isn’t as well known as many other classics on Cartoon Network, but that isn’t for lack of quality.
2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
After Michael Bay’s divisive live-action adaptation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Seth Rogen and his team set to work creating a film that would be worthy of the source material. Entitled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, the feature film was animated in a unique style that paid homage to the city it was set in. As the turtle brothers come of age in New York, they encounter all the milestones of being a teenager. Sneaking out. Forming crushes. Defending the city from a corrupt government.
Cantu plays Leonardo, the de facto leader of the group. And though he takes his mantle seriously, he is still a teen at heart. The young performer plays the role admirably, a feat expected from someone with so much experience in the world of animation.
3. Skull Island
Doing away with all the pitfalls of live-action, Netflix’s Skull Island can use the universe of larger-than-life monsters in a new and interesting way. In the eight-episode series, Charlie (Cantu) and Mike (Darren Barnet) find themselves stranded on the last island you want to wash up on. Cantu had the added pressure of not only being a lead character but also delivering exposition of the nature of the Island. Showrunner and creator of Skull Island, Brian Duffield, praised Cantu when speaking to IndieWire about the necessities of the role.
“He gets a lot of the season where he’s by himself and has to basically narrate what’s going on in a way that’s not annoying.”
But Cantu has had experience in the voice-over game, and with added performers like Mae Whitman and Benjamin Bratt in the mix, Skull Island became a worthy addition to the universe.
4. The Walking Dead: World Beyond
Cantu has spent most of his time in animation roles, but there comes a time in any actor’s life when he must decide if he should enter the prolific Walking Dead series. A hallmark franchise for AMC, Cantu lent his talent as Elton Ortiz in The Walking Dead spin-off, World Beyond. Though it only lasted for two seasons, The Walking Dead: World Beyond is a diamond in the rough. Instead of the high-pressure atmosphere of the Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) Show, World Beyond shows the zombie apocalypse from the perspective of teens.
They are perhaps affected more so than anyone else, growing up in a predominantly violent world. Elton has a difficult go of it as anyone, particularly because he is so young. After helping a rag-tag group of teens in their search for their father, Elton gets bitten and needs his arm amputated. World Beyond is somewhat lighter fare but doesn’t ignore the realities of the world that has made the series so popular.
5. Dragons: Rescue Riders
In the same universe as the beloved How To Train Your Dragon series, Dragons: Rescue Riders is a series for younger audiences. Following twins Dark (Cantu) and Leyla (Brennley Brown), who have been raised to speak dragon after being rescued by these flying friends. The siblings band together with a collection of colorful dragons as they go on adventures.
The original 2019 series yielded a television movie, Secrets of the Songwing, as well as the additional series, Heroes of the Sky. These short television shows are an entertaining entry point for fans who are not yet ready for the main How To Train Your Dragon series. But when the time comes, these fans may later encounter the moving dynamic between a boy and his dragon. Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and his flying companion Toothless encounter life and love in the award-winning franchise.
6. The Fabelmans
It is every actor’s dream to work on a Steven Spielberg film and to do one at such a young age is even more impressive. Following renowned films such as Jaws and Jurassic Park, the director finally created a film inspired by his own life. Cantu appears in the famous director’s semi-autobiographical film, The Fabelmans. Nominated for seven Oscars, the film follows Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle), who experiences the power of cinema as he pursues his filmmaking dreams. Cantu spoke to News 4 San Antonio about being surprised to learn that he had booked a role in the star-studded film.
“I actually auditioned for (the role of) Sammy Fabelman, which is Steven Spielberg’s younger self. From there, they sent out the auditions for the Boy Scouts, and I got (the character) Hark from that. But originally I auditioned for young Spielberg.”
While Cantu didn’t win the central role, he stands out as fellow Boy Scout, Hark. This was the young actor’s official film debut and would ordinarily bode very well for his career, if he can get past the current controversy anyway.