'Grownish' Star Henri Esteve Talks 'Grownish' And Activism

Have you been binge watching Freeform’s ‘Grownish’? Is your favorite character Javi? Check out the video to learn all about your favorite show and character!

What’s up all, it’s your sis Shay Sayss. Welcome back to Bold In The Know. Be sure to like, subscribe, and hit that notification bell for pop culture, current events, news headlines, and all things Bold.

Joining Shay Sayss today to discuss Freefrorm’s ‘Grownish’ is Henri Esteve who plays Javi on the show.

How did you get this role?

Henri was in the process of moving back to New York in 2019. He had got an audition a couple weeks before and the same week he had put down a deposit on an apartment, he got a call that he needed to go back to LA and start filming a few days later. Thankfully, Henri got the role and his deposit back.

Can you tell us more about your character, Javi?

Javi is a first generation Cuban American grad student who is a political activist that wants to get into politics. Javi is also one of the only two Republicans in the cast, which Henri finds fun to play on the other side of most of the cast. He thinks Javi is a character that is able to bring a Republican character that isn’t the Republican stereotype because he shows that politics and principles don’t always have to be on opposite sides of the spectrum.

Do you think Javi is similar to you or did you have to ‘get into character’?

In terms of speaking style and mannerisms, Henri believes they are similar. They are also both from Miami and first generation Cuban Americans. However, in terms of personality, Henri believes Javi is a lot more controlled than he is. Henri thinks he is a lot more of a hothead and more emotional.

Henri played another Javier on ABC’s ‘Revenge’ back in 2014. Do you use past acting experiences to inform your current ones?

You’re constantly learning from every role. He took what he learned from ‘Revenge’ to this ‘Grownish’ role and he will probably take what he learned in this role to the next. Also, ‘Revenge’ was his first acting job ever. He didn’t even know how to hit a mark. He felt like he didn’t know what he was doing and that he would be fired.

What have you learned from ‘Revenge’ that you have used in future projects?

Preparation is extremely important. You can get lines days before, the day before or even the day of. Henri learned that he needed to learn the lines the night before and sleep on them. That’s what works for him. If he has to learn them the day of, he is definitely struggling. Henri learned that according to neuroscience sleeping can really help with learning, which would explain why he needs to learn the lines the day before not the day of.

You have shown your support for Cuban protestors. Can you tell us what issues you feel strongly about and why activism is so important to you?

Cubans are being beaten and starved in jails for protesting the government. Henri’s mother and grandmother fled Cuba so that he would have the opportunity to voice his opinions. He feels that now is his opportunity to amplify Cuban voices and their protests when the Cuban government is trying to silence them. Now, his platform and activism are more important than ever.

What is next for you?

Henri just wrapped Grownish and now he’s lucky enough to take the time to find a project that he’s passionate about.

Have you checked out Grownish’ on Freeform? Let us know in the comments below.

👇 FOLLOW HENRI ESTEVE 👇

Instagram: @henrijesteve

Twitter: @H_Esteve

👇 FOLLOW SHAY SAYSS 👇

Instagram: @shaysayss

Twitter: @shaysayss

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