Here's something you might be interested in.
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed
Big Screen — Movie commentary
Blurt — Music's inside track
Booze News — San Diego spirits
Classical Music — Immortal beauty
Classifieds — Free and easy
Close to Home — What it’s like on the street where you live
Cover Stories — Front-page features
Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes
Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts
Feast! — Food & drink reviews
Feature Stories — Local news & stories
Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore
From the Archives — Spotlight on the past
Golden Dreams — Talk of the town
The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it
Letters — Our inbox
Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites
Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans
Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists
Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news
News Ticker — News & politics
Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated
Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna
Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated
Poetry — The old and the new
Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers
Reading — The hunt for intellectuals
Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails
San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds
SD on the QT — Almost factual news
Sheep and Goats — Places of worship
Special Issues — The best of
Street Style — San Diego streets have style
Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves
Theater — On stage in San Diego this week
Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative
Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work
Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego
Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads
Your Week — Daily event picks
How Mike Infante Is Revolutionizing Hollywood
Following the success of their billion-dollar Marvel Studios superhero movie, Captain Marvel, directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck sought to return to their indie roots and tell a more personal story. The resulting film, Freaky Tales, was released earlier this year, and the directing duo brought a newfound degree of panache and Hollywood muscle to the smaller production.
Big-name actors such as Pedro Pascal, Jay Ellis, Ben Mendelsohn, and even Tom Hanks were all featured in the film. But one name that you should look out for from the film is Mike Infante, a rising star who is quickly becoming not just a part of Hollywood culture but a redefining element of it. As a Mexican-American actor with cerebral palsy, Mike is challenging industry norms and proving that authentic disability representation isn't just possible; it's powerful.
Origin Story
As a child, Mike was always infatuated with the arts. The idea of performance, of taking on a role outside of yourself, became a source of inspiration for him and led him to participate in theater from a very early age.
As Mike grew as a person, he also developed as an actor. By the time he was heading off to college in Sacramento, he was determined to pursue acting as a passion and a career.
Mike details his drive by saying, "I have a disability, and it's not very common to see a person with an actual disability. Playing characters with disabilities. My hope is that changes in representation not only for the disability community, but just the fact that we can break the stigma on screen to show that people with disabilities are much more."
Industry Breakthrough
At only 24, Mike was intent on auditioning for significant projects and soon broke through in a big way, netting a role in Freaky Tales alongside veteran blockbuster performers.
Beyond this, Mike also has a role in the film No Address. These film roles have amplified his platform as an actor and crusader for his cause. Mike doesn't believe that his career in acting is an exception, but rather a part of a necessary shift toward inclusion in the entertainment industry.
On-Screen Advocacy
Acting involves performers playing a part that is not necessarily who they are. However, the best actors aren't simply up on the stage or screen pretending to be something they aren't; they find a more profound truth within the role that resonates with them, making the audience feel a character's emotions and reactions. To this end, while able-bodied actors have been taking on disabled roles in Hollywood for decades, Mike feels he and other actors with disabilities bring a unique perspective and insight to such roles thanks to their lifelong experiences with such matters.
Embracing disabled actors for disabled characters allows for a far more accurate and potentially moving portrayal to land in front of the audience. It also allows these miraculous performers to do what they love while exploring their experiences.
Digital Voice
Mike has built a community of over 600,000 followers online. He presents his story online as a message of positivity and perseverance, which has resonated with fans worldwide. This indicates how Mike's story moves people and how his incisive abilities as a charismatic performer capture audiences' attention everywhere.
Vision for the Future
Moving forward, Mike Infante sees himself continuing to pursue greatness for himself and his cause. For him, Freaky Tales and No Address are just the beginning. He realizes he is in a rare position now and refuses to take it for granted or rest upon his laurels. Mike aspires to continue rising through the Hollywood ranks and changing how people perceive disabled actors as he does so.
Mike concludes, "The fight isn't over, and I still have more goals and dreams to go, and we're gonna climb and get them. If I'm chasing my dreams and doing the impossible, so can you."
Here's something you might be interested in.
How Mike Infante Is Revolutionizing Hollywood
How Mike Infante Is Revolutionizing Hollywood
Following the success of their billion-dollar Marvel Studios superhero movie, Captain Marvel, directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck sought to return to their indie roots and tell a more personal story. The resulting film, Freaky Tales, was released earlier this year, and the directing duo brought a newfound degree of panache and Hollywood muscle to the smaller production.
Big-name actors such as Pedro Pascal, Jay Ellis, Ben Mendelsohn, and even Tom Hanks were all featured in the film. But one name that you should look out for from the film is Mike Infante, a rising star who is quickly becoming not just a part of Hollywood culture but a redefining element of it. As a Mexican-American actor with cerebral palsy, Mike is challenging industry norms and proving that authentic disability representation isn't just possible; it's powerful.
Origin Story
As a child, Mike was always infatuated with the arts. The idea of performance, of taking on a role outside of yourself, became a source of inspiration for him and led him to participate in theater from a very early age.
As Mike grew as a person, he also developed as an actor. By the time he was heading off to college in Sacramento, he was determined to pursue acting as a passion and a career.
Mike details his drive by saying, "I have a disability, and it's not very common to see a person with an actual disability. Playing characters with disabilities. My hope is that changes in representation not only for the disability community, but just the fact that we can break the stigma on screen to show that people with disabilities are much more."
Industry Breakthrough
At only 24, Mike was intent on auditioning for significant projects and soon broke through in a big way, netting a role in Freaky Tales alongside veteran blockbuster performers.
Beyond this, Mike also has a role in the film No Address. These film roles have amplified his platform as an actor and crusader for his cause. Mike doesn't believe that his career in acting is an exception, but rather a part of a necessary shift toward inclusion in the entertainment industry.
On-Screen Advocacy
Acting involves performers playing a part that is not necessarily who they are. However, the best actors aren't simply up on the stage or screen pretending to be something they aren't; they find a more profound truth within the role that resonates with them, making the audience feel a character's emotions and reactions. To this end, while able-bodied actors have been taking on disabled roles in Hollywood for decades, Mike feels he and other actors with disabilities bring a unique perspective and insight to such roles thanks to their lifelong experiences with such matters.
Embracing disabled actors for disabled characters allows for a far more accurate and potentially moving portrayal to land in front of the audience. It also allows these miraculous performers to do what they love while exploring their experiences.
Digital Voice
Mike has built a community of over 600,000 followers online. He presents his story online as a message of positivity and perseverance, which has resonated with fans worldwide. This indicates how Mike's story moves people and how his incisive abilities as a charismatic performer capture audiences' attention everywhere.
Vision for the Future
Moving forward, Mike Infante sees himself continuing to pursue greatness for himself and his cause. For him, Freaky Tales and No Address are just the beginning. He realizes he is in a rare position now and refuses to take it for granted or rest upon his laurels. Mike aspires to continue rising through the Hollywood ranks and changing how people perceive disabled actors as he does so.
Mike concludes, "The fight isn't over, and I still have more goals and dreams to go, and we're gonna climb and get them. If I'm chasing my dreams and doing the impossible, so can you."
Comments
Members of the editorial staff of San Diego Reader were not involved in the creation of this content.