Kaleb Bustamante
Photo by Sonia Barcelona, Photos 4 The People
Kaleb Bustamante, 22, played the plucky nerd, Brian, in "RecreAsian Productions Presens: The Breakfast Club" (2022).
"The reason I cast Kaleb as Brian was because in his self tape, he was so honest and genuine, and brought a softer side to Brian that I didn’t see in the original movie," says Cronin. And you can see more of his acting in the Nevada Conservatory Theatre's production of "She Kills Monsters", also starring RecreAsian's founder, Ruliko Cronin.
RecreAsian's producer extraordinaire, Aisha Kasmir, caught up with Kaleb to chat about his journey so far.
What got you into film acting?
In sophomore year of high school, I wanted to try directing, and for some reason, I thought if you want to be a good director, you should know how to act. So I took a theatre class in my junior year. Specifically for film, my friend who is a director asked me to be apart of their short film last minute and I said yes. I now do both and am happy to be apart of both the film and theatre world.
Where are you now on your journey?
This is my eighth year acting, in total, and my fifth year as a UNLV theatre major in my final semester about to graduate.
How has the journey been so far?
It's been a real rollercoaster! I love the camaraderie and team dynamic. It's the one place where I have a true sense of belonging that I didn't have before. And I've just loved exploring all the different paths. In my first year of college, I didn't really know what I was supposed to do. What helped me was looking at what brought me joy. And that was theatre and acting. It's my creative outlet that I hope contributes to the world in a positive way. But I'm still really trying to figure it all out - how to have a healthy relationship with acting.
What do you mean by that - having a healthy relationship?
Just fighting that internal critic. Feeling like I'm not good enough in some aspects or that I'm not doing my best all the time. It also seems like there aren't many opportunities for Asian Americans in this space and it's only now starting to grow.
Yeah, exactly. There aren't many Asian stories being told.
I want there to be more representation and diversity, for everyone and to share specifically what the Filipino experience is about. So often I'm the only one in the room that's Asian. Most spaces are dominated by white actors. I'm breaking through not just for me but other people. I'm still getting through that struggle. Like with certain companies, they can make more of an effort to raise diverse voices. I don't feel like a burden with more diverse casts.
Was there a specific experience that made you feel like a burden?
There was a show I was doing where I was one of a few POCs and some castmates and people who watched the show pointed it out. It’s hard not to notice sometimes and that identity awareness makes it difficult to focus on entirely performance.
What lessons have you learned from this journey?
#1: That I can contribute to the world in a good way. Like with "Breakfast Club." That's exactly the kind of role I want. It was an opportunity to play these parts as proudly Asian, proudly ourselves, when Asian voices have been left out.
Photo by Sonia Barcelona, Photos 4 The People
#2: With emotional material - trying to be mentally healthy. Taking care of yourself to get to intense places. In "Breakfast Club" - Brian was having a meltdown. It was important to me to not damage myself in doing that scene. I had to really consider how I wanted to play this character without it bleeding into my personal life.
How'd you do that?
Doing a lot of work beforehand, planning the emotional journey rather than finding it in the moment. Also, it helps feeling like I was in a safe environment.
What makes you feel safe?
An efficient process. No hiccups. No distractions. Feeling like I was taken care of and freedom to do what I wanted to do.
#3: As an actor, I'm just one piece of a big puzzle. If you have an ego, check it at the door. I focus on being kind to everybody I work with. Being someone people want to work with brought opportunities instead of being the best performer because I established good relationships with people. For example, I had my first role in the show “Into the Woods” when I was a junior in high school. I didn't audition for it! The drama teacher asked me because they weren't enough men who auditioned. Originally I had a small role, then I got promoted to play the Baker because the original actor moved away. Suddenly I'm the lead. Most of my roles come from friends, people who know me. I don’t always have to audition for things which is a
great feeling and a privilege.
Kaleb’s Asian Story Recommendation
We want to share as much Asian art as possible, so we’re asking all our interviewees to recommend a work by an Asian artist or featuring an Asian story.
“Yellow Rose” starring Eva Noblezada. She is a huge inspiration to me. It tells the story of an undocumented Filipino immigrant who is an aspiring musician. That was really powerful and I’d recommend people watch it to support more mainstream, Filipino-centric stories.
