Here's What 18 Latine Actors Who Made It Big As Child Stars Are Doing Now
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It's always fun to look back at the films and shows you were obsessed with as a kid. Of course, it's even better when the stars you grew up watching have gone on to exciting (and sometimes wildly different) things.
So, in honor of Latine Heritage Month, here are 18 Latine former child stars and what they've been up to all these years:
1.Tristan Wilds then:
Where you know them: As a child actor, Tristan Wilds appeared in the Ryan Gosling film, Half Nelson, The Secret Life of Bees, and Seasons 4 and 5 of The Wire.
Tristan Wilds now:
What they're up to now: Tristan followed up his early career with a major role in 90210, appearing in 111 of the 114 episodes from 2008 to 2013. He's continued working as an actor since, including on the Apple TV+ series Swagger and the Peacock film Praise This, which was released in April. That's not all. Tristan is also a Grammy-nominated musician, and his most recent album AfterHours was released in 2017.
2.Alexa PenaVega then:
Where you know them: Alexa PenaVega, née Vega, played one-half of the original star sibling characters in the Spy Kids series. Alongside Daryl Sabara as Juni Cortez, Alexa led the first four Spy Kid films as Carmen Cortez.
Alexa PenaVega now:
What they're up to now: In addition to her acting career and an appearance on Dancing with the Stars in 2015, Alexa has authored two books alongside her husband, Big Time Rush member Carlos PenaVega (née Pena): What If Love Is the Point last year and Love Is the Point this year.
3.Alfred Enoch then:
Where you know them: Alfred Enoch memorably got his start in the Harry Potter franchise, playing Hogwarts student Dean Thomas in seven of the eight films.
Alfred Enoch now:
What they're up to now: Alfred had a major role in the first four seasons of the Shonda Rhimes series How to Get Away with Murder. Since then, he's stayed busy with many film, TV, and theater roles, including the sci-fi show Foundation and the upcoming series The Couple Next Door.
4.Selena Gomez then:
Where you know them: Selena Gomez had her breakout role at just 15 years old. Beginning in 2007, she starred as Alex Russo on the Disney Channel series Wizards of Waverly Place. The show lasted four seasons for a combined 106 episodes.
Selena Gomez now:
What they're up to now: What isn't Selena up to? She's currently starring on the Emmy-nominated hit TV series, Only Murders in the Building, all while continuing her music career with charting singles and working on her popular cosmetic brand, Rare Beauty.
5.Jake T. Austin then:
Where you know them: Jake T. Austin played Max Russo, Alex and Justin Russo's younger brother, on Wizards of Waverly Place.
Jake T. Austin now:
6.Demi Lovato then:
Where you know them: Demi Lovato hit it big in the late-aughts on Disney Channel with starring roles in the film, Camp Rock (as well as the sequel), and the TV series, Sonny with a Chance.
Demi Lovato now:
What they're up to now: Demi has largely put her acting career on pause to prioritize her internationally successful and Grammy-nominated singing career. Last month, Demi released an inaugural remix album, featuring rock interpretations of some of her biggest hits including "Confident," "Sorry Not Sorry," and "Cool for the Summer."
7.Madison De La Garza then:
Where you know them: Madison De La Garza, Demi's younger half-sibling, played Juanita Solis, the daughter of Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) and Carlos Solis (Ricardo Antonio Chavira) on Desperate Housewives.
Madison De La Garza now:
8.Tyler Posey then:
Where you know them: Tyler Posey had two major roles as a kid: on the TV series Doc and, perhaps more notably, as the son to Jennifer Lopez's character in Maid in Manhattan.
Tyler Posey now:
What they're up to now: As an adult, Tyler saw his career soar as the lead in the MTV series Teen Wolf, which he starred in from 2011 to 2017, as well as the follow-up film earlier this year. He'll soon appear alongside the likes of Chet Hanks, Ally Brooke, formerly of Fifth Harmony, and Johnny Weir in the latest revival season of the celeb reality show The Surreal Life.
9.Victoria Justice (with Jamie Lynn Spears on her left) then:
Where you know them: Victoria Justice had a main supporting role on the Nickelodeon series Zoey 101 beginning in Season 2 and continuing through the show's fourth and final season. She then went on to star in her own Nick show, Victorious, for four seasons.
Victoria Justice (with Jamie Lynn Spears on her left) now:
What they're up to now: Victoria stays busy. Last year, she starred in the Netflix film A Perfect Pairing. In March, she appeared alongside Garrett Hedlund and Noah Schnapp in the film The Tutor. She's also reportedly working on her debut album.
10.Moisés Arias then:
Where you know them: Moisés Arias played Rico on all four seasons of Hannah Montana.
Moisés Arias now:
What they're up to now: Following the success of Hannah Montana, Moisés has appeared in a range of films, including Pitch Perfect 3, Five Feet Apart, and The King of Staten Island. Next year, he's set to appear in the Amazon Prime Video sci-fi series Fallout alongside Walton Goggins, Ella Purnell, and Kyle MacLachlan.
11.Mark Indelicato then:
Where you know them: Mark Indelicato's breakout role was as Justin Suarez, niece to Betty Suarez (America Ferrera) in the hit TV series, Ugly Betty. He appeared in all 85 episodes during the show's four-season run from 2006 to 2010.
Mark Indelicato now:
What they're up to now: Mark is currently starring in another hit show: Hacks. He appears on the Emmy-winning comedy series as Damien, Deborah Vance (Jean Smart)'s assistant. That's not all. He also stars in the Amazon Prime rom-com series, With Love.
12.Jenna Ortega then:
Where you know them: Jenna Ortega had an extensive child acting career, including roles in Jane the Virgin, Richie Rich, Stuck in the Middle, and You. She also appeared in movies like Iron Man 3 and Insidious: Chapter 2.
Jenna Ortega now:
What they're up to now: Jenna's career reached new heights with starring roles in the hit Netflix series Wednesday, the latest installments in the Scream franchise, and critically acclaimed films like The Fallout and X. She'll soon be seen in the highly anticipated Beetlejuice sequel.
13.Rico Rodriguez then:
Where you know them: For all 11 seasons of Modern Family, Rico Rodriguez starred as Manny Delgado, the wise-for-his-years son of Gloria Delgado-Pritchett (Sofía Vergara) and step-son of Jay Pritchett (Ed O'Neill).
Rico Rodriguez now:
What they're up to now: Since Modern Family, Rico's projects have included appearing as himself on two Nickelodeon series: the prank show The Substitute and the game show Unfiltered.
14.Raini Rodriguez then:
Where you know them: Raini Rodriguez, Rico's older sister, is perhaps best known for being one of the four leads on the Disney Channel series Austin & Ally. She played the character Trish in all four seasons from 2011 to 2016.
Raini Rodriguez now:
What they're up to now: Raini has followed Austin & Ally up with several notable voice-acting roles on shows like Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous, A Tale Dark & Grimm, and Rugrats.
15.Cierra Ramirez then:
Where you know them: Cierra Ramirez's first major role was as Kathy, a recurring character on the ABC Family (now Freeform) series The Secret Life of the American Teenager. She began appearing toward the end of the series in 2012.
Cierra Ramirez now:
16.Isabela Merced then:
Why you know them: Prior to 2019, Isabela Merced went professionally by the name Isabela Moner. It's under this name that she starred in the Nickelodeon series 100 Things to Do Before High School, as well as the films Instant Family and Dora and the Lost City of Gold.
Isabela Merced now:
What they're up to now: Isabela's career has soared with roles in films like Father of the Bride and Rosaline. Next up, she'll appear in Madame Web, Turtles All the Way Down, and the latest Alien film.
17.Jaylen Barron then:
Where you know them: Before her memorable role in Shameless, Jaylen appeared in several episodes of the Disney Channel sitcom, Good Luck Charlie.
Jaylen Barron now:
What they're up to now: Jaylen landed a major role starring alongside Jasmine Cephas Jones in the Starz series Blindspotting. The show, which ran for two seasons, finished its run earlier this year.
18.Madison Reyes then:
Where you know them: In 2020, Madison led the Netflix series Julie and the Phantoms, which was co-executive produced by Hocus Pocus and High School Musical director Kenny Ortega.
Madison Reyes now:
What they're up to now: Though it's only been a few years since Julie and the Phantoms, Madison has stayed busy with projects like her shop Mariposa by Madi and a burgeoning music career.
Join BuzzFeed in celebrating Latine Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15.
