Filming scenes alongside crew members, junior Felix Avitia faced the camera, preparing for his next scene as character Franklin Delgado from the TV series “Gamer’s Guide to Pretty Much Everything.” In his white shirt and dark blue jeans, he took in the bright set lights and the chaos of people behind the scenes as he settled into his role.
“I can’t say if he’s my favorite part I’ve ever played, because I have to think back to all the parts I played and then be able to say that he is my favorite,” Avitia said. “But he is absolutely easily the most fun and the most enjoyable I’ve ever played. I loved Franklin as a character. I loved who he was and I was honored and super, super excited that I got to bring him to life.”
Avitia’s first on-camera experience was when he was a one-year-old. Since then, he has appeared in TV series including “Speechless” and the movie “The Sackett Sisters.”
“The environment itself was something I was really passionate about,” Avitia said. “Acting can become a career that I can make something out of. I happened to be fairly decent at it, so from that point forward I felt that this is what I can do.”
Avitia has acted alongside his father Ruben Avitia, who has supported him throughout his career from behind the scenes.
“I was always really comfortable being on set with my dad and being around cameras, lights and people,” Avitia said. “I’ve been fortunate in the career I’ve had and I definitely don’t take that for granted, but I definitely understand and really appreciate the fact that I know I wouldn’t have had the career so far without my dad.”
A variety of different skills and techniques are necessary to portray a character.
“People often think that they’re the same thing, but how you memorize your lines is one thing, how you deliver your lines is another,” Avitia said. “You want to make it believable, you want to make it real and original.”
Avitia is filming with Amazon Prime for a children’s show based on the popular series “Pete the Cat.” He plans to continue acting while managing his academics, although schoolwork has top priority.
“If I want to go to college, I would say that it would be something that’s separate from acting because I’ve been professional with acting since I was six,” Avitia said. “I wouldn’t say a waste of time, but a waste of major, when I can spend my time learning a life skill.”
Thanks to his vigorous schedule, Avitia has learned to balance his acting and social life.
“People ask me what is it like to just be an act or what’s a day in the life of a working actor who’s running around all the time,” Avitia said. “And you know, I tell them, it’s a lot. It’s very busy. It’s very, very, tasking at times but it’s very enjoyable. As long as you enjoy what you do like I do, it’s all worth it.”
TCHS School Newspaper