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HISPANIC NETWORK MAGAZINE www.hnmagazine.com
COVER STORY
Childrens Program from 2008 to 2012. Austin didnt go unnoticed either. He earned nominations for the Imagen Award and Young Artist Award for his role. It was such a great experience, and the show is still on the air on streaming platforms and people tell me how much theyve learned from watching it, he says. He followed his success in voice work with a role on Disney Channels Wizards of Wa- verly Place , alongside a young Selena Gomez and David Henrie. The series, which followed three wizard siblings with magical powers, ran for four seasons and earned an Emmy in the category of Outstanding Childrens Pro- gram in 2009. When the show ended in 2012, an estimated 11.3 million viewers tuned in to watch the one-hour series finale, making it the most-watched finale for a Disney Channel Original Series. Austin's character, Max Russo, had a known Hispanic heritage and his mother (played by Maria Canals-Barrera) often tried to get the kids to learn about their Latino heri- tage. Austin continued to juggle voice and acting work, and in 2009, he starred in the film, Ho- tel for Dogs opposite Emma Roberts. In 2011, Austin voiced Fernando, an orphaned Brazil- ian boy, in the animated feature films Rio and Rio 2 from 20th Century Fox. That same year, he was cast in the film New Year's Eve, di- rected by rom-com veteran Garry Marshall. In 2017, Austin voiced the character of Alex in The Emoji Movie . Balancing the two professions of actor and voice actor isn't difficult for Austin. He sees both as forms of storytelling, which he takes very seriously. Performing is an experience that, in some ways, is hard to articulate, he says. Youre taking words on a page and creating a walk- ing, breathing character that the viewer expe- riences. And when he straddles the two occupa- tions, Austin isnt just working to establish himself as multifaceted. He is also hoping to help audiences see the Latino community as more than just one homogeneous group. I think the biggest stereotype about the Hispanic community would be the notion that we are a monolith, says Austin. People whose familial line is from Cuba are different than people with experiences from Peru, who are different from people in Argentina. Austin says pushing for more diversity in the storytelling we see in entertainment is critical. Im a big believer in people sharing their stories and learning about other cultures, and the change I would like to see is more micro- communication of information about specific
Actor/Youth Ambassador Jake T. Austin (R) visits the Ronald McDonald House in New York City.
PHOTO BY MICHAEL STEWART/WIREIMAGE
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