David Castañeda and Genesis Rodriguez, the Latino Talent That Captivated Fans of the Umbrella Academy

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An adoptive father who calls his children by numbers and with whom he has no emotional attachment; siblings who go from loving to attacking each other in the blink of an eye; and super powers that alter the timeline. It’s like The Umbrella Academy is a telenovela on steroids — and we love it.

Since its premiere in 2019, the series inspired by Gerard Way’s comic book has won over audiences in all latitudes, with every fan falling in love with the characters’ story.

David Castañeda, who plays Diego Hargreeves, was definitely a favorite for the Latino audience.

Born in Los Angeles and raised in Sinaloa, Mexico, David Castañeda rose to fame for his role as Jorge in the ABC Family series “Switched at Birth” in 2013. Castañeda also played Hector in “Sicario: Day of the Soldado” (2018) and a couple of smaller roles in independent films.

However, it has been his role as Diego Hargreeves (called Number 2 by his father in the series) in “The Umbrella Academy.”

Diego’s character is ambitious, has superhuman knife skills, and has a charming smile. He is also the first character to show us the intricacies of family relationships, something Castañeda has experienced firsthand.

“When it comes to family, you have a sense of having a higher purpose,” said Castañeda, discussing his childhood in Sinaloa, Mexico, to Latina.com. “You don’t always have to be the strong one. You don’t always have to get it right,” he added.

In the most recent season of The Umbrella Academy, we see Diego explore fatherhood and love in the face of the end of the world.

However, Castañeda is not the only Latino talent on the hit series.

This past season, audiences were introduced to Genesis Rodriguez, who plays Sloane Hargreeves, another daughter of billionaire Sir Reginald Hargreeves, but in a parallel universe.

Sloane has the ability to manipulate gravity, is shy, and falls in love with Luther/Number One, whom she marries before the end of the world.

In real life, Genesis Rodriguez is the youngest daughter of iconic Venezuelan singer Jose Luis “El Puma” Rodriguez. Despite having doubted her abilities, she has made a major career move — from telenovelas to streaming giant Netflix.

Rodriguez began her career in Telemundo telenovelas such as “Prisionera” (2004) and “Doña Barbara” (2008). Subsequently, she began her career in English-language shows such as “Hours,” “Entourage,” and “Time After Time.”

However, The Umbrella Academy has been an experience that marks a before and after for the Latina actress.

“For me, it has always been a dream to be a superhero, I did not see it possible, and especially when I was auditioning for this role, I said: ‘they are not going to hire me because there is already a Latino in the show’… So when they hire a Latino, they don’t hire two Latinos on the same show but thank God, the executives and producers didn’t think that way,” the actress told HOLA. “For me, it is imperative that Latinos see themselves identified and feel and can dream of being superheroes too. It gives me a lot of joy, and I hope for another type of superhero too; it’s fun.”

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