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Acting in the Upside Down

Juan Carlos overcame obstacles to star in Stranger Things: The First Shadow on Broadway.

October 2025
Chava Pearl Lansky

Juan Carlos plays Bob Newby as a teenager in the show.

Juan Carlos was 14 when he stepped onstage for the first time. It was in a local children’s production of the musical Jekyll & Hyde in Miami, Florida. “I’ll never forget the first time I got to experience the red curtain being pulled back,” Juan says. “Seeing the audience’s excitement and being able to convey a story that made them feel something was incredible. I realized this is what I need to do.”

Now Juan is connecting with audiences eight shows a week. In the spring, he made his Broadway debut in the role of Bob Newby in Stranger Things: The First Shadow, a new play based on the hit Netflix series Stranger Things.

The road to starring on Broadway wasn’t always smooth for Juan.

He grew up in a low-income household with a single mom and started working to help his family when he was 15. But he never gave up his determination to be an actor. Today he’s seeing that hard work pay off.

FINDING THEATER

Juan Carlos as himself

As a little kid, Juan was obsessed with movies and TV shows and how they were made. “I knew I wanted to be in entertainment in some way or another,” he says.

Juan’s parents are Cuban immigrants. They struggled financially. When he was 15, his parents separated, and his mom became the sole provider for Juan and his three siblings. Juan, his twin brother, and his older sister took jobs to help out their mom. “That’s the type of family we are,” says Juan. “We always have each other’s backs.”

In fact, it was Juan’s sister, Helena, who suggested he try acting. “I was a really attention-seeking kid,” Juan says. “I always had a joke to tell or a bit to perform.” He tried out for a play at Miami Children’s Theater. At first, he didn’t get a part, but he kept auditioning. His tenacity paid off. “I became obsessed,” he says. “Acting was the only thing I could really focus on from there out.”

Miami Children’s Theater became Juan’s second home. The director gave Juan a paid job as a carpenter building the theater’s sets so he could earn some money to help his family. “I was at the theater all the time,” says Juan. “It helped me mature, but it was also an escape.”

Juan poses with his fellow castmates.

MAKING IT WORK

Juan knew he wanted to study acting in college. But many schools were very expensive. “One day my mom picked me up from rehearsal. We were sitting in the car, and she told me that she supported me, but she couldn’t help me pay for school,” Juan recalls. His mom had acted as a teenager in Cuba but gave it up when she moved to Miami. “We both cried, but I understood,” Juan says. “I said I would figure it out.”

Juan decided to study acting at a small college in Orlando. He put himself through school with the help of financial aid and scholarships. He also worked a variety of jobs, including carpentry, using the skills he’d learned at the youth theater.

After graduation, Juan moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. It was a big risk. “I had no plan and no connections,” he says. He knew he needed a reel (a collection of film clips showing his previous work) to get auditions. Using equipment he rented after hours for a discount, he made a short film to show off his acting skills. Then he put together his reel himself. The reel helped him get his first TV job. “You shouldn’t ever wait around for someone else,” he says. “You can always make art on your own.”

BECOMING BOB

After playing small roles in TV shows, Juan got the chance to audition for Stranger Things: The First Shadow. The play is a prequel to the TV series. It’s set in 1959 and features many of the show’s adult characters as teenagers.

Juan had been a superfan of the TV show since it first came out. “I love that the show is about outcasts finding community through each other,” he says.

His first audition was over a video call. Next he flew to New York. For more than a week he tried out in front of the show’s producers, directors, and writers. He also read scenes with the show’s other lead actors to see if they had chemistry. Finally, he learned he’d gotten the role—and rehearsals started the next day.

Rehearsals ran all day, six days a week. After two months, the show started previews. These are early performances that let the director see audiences’ reactions to the show and make changes before opening night. “We’d rehearse until 5 p.m. and then have a show at 7. The next day, the directors would give us a new script and we’d rehearse again,” Juan says. “I was in the theater for 12 hours every day.”

Stranger Things: The First Shadow officially opened on Broadway in April. “Opening night was one of the craziest experiences of my life,” Juan says. He had his picture taken on the red carpet in front of the theater and got to meet cast members from the TV show.

But the best part of the night was sharing his success with his family. “When I was cast in the play, what I was most excited about was for my family to come see me perform,” Juan says. “It was such a meaningful moment to be able to bring them backstage to my dressing room after the show.”

The play is a prequel to the hit TV show.

STRANGE NO MORE

After several months, Juan has settled into playing Bob Newby. He no longer has daily rehearsals, so he can unwind before shows by hanging out with friends and playing tennis and basketball. But he still gets excited to perform. Many of the other actors made their Broadway debuts in the show like Juan and are also thrilled to be there. “You can feel the energy on the stage,” he says. “I think the audiences feel it too.”

Juan has a one-year contract to play Bob. He’s not sure what will come next. But he’s ready for anything. “I’ve learned that life can change at the drop of a hat,” he says. “So you should always work toward bettering yourself. Then when the opportunity comes, you’re ready for it.”

Reflection prompt: Juan kept auditioning until he was cast in his first play. Have you faced rejection but didn’t give up? Write a paragraph about what you learned from the experience.

Juan’s Tips for Aspiring Actors

  • BE PROFESSIONAL: “My high school theater director taught me that to be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late, and to be late is unacceptable.” 
  • BE SILLY: “I am a big believer that to be an actor, you have to throw away your dignity. Everything is cringe, until you’re successful, and then it’s not.” 
  • BE UP FOR ANYTHING: “Sometimes a director will give me an instruction that I don’t think will work. But you have to throw everything at the wall to see what sticks.”
  • FOLLOW YOUR PASSION: “Good art comes from a need for art. If you feel that need, it’s important to fulfill yourself creatively.”
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