When Mexican-born actor Adan Canto read the pilot for “The Following,” he knew he wanted to be a part of it. “It just blew my mind,” he says. Fast-forward less than two years later, and Canto has a role in one of the best dramas on television on his résumé, his first American feature-length film appearance in “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” coming in the spring, and a brand new ensemble comedy series about to premiere.
Yes, if it sounds like it’s been a whirlwind for this budding actor, it’s because it has. “Mixology” airs tomorrow, Feb. 26 at 9:30 p.m. EST, and follows five single guys and five single girls looking for love over the course of one night. “It brings out the reality of a lot of folks out there who go and have a good time on the weekends at bars, and pretty much this ‘hunt’ that goes on inevitably.”
“It touches on a lot of personalities. It’s very easy for you to feel related to one character or the other,” he adds.
Playing Dominic, a dark and mysterious bartender, on the new comedy is Canto’s latest endeavor, but certainly not his last. The actor chats with Backstage about his career so far, what he’s learned working in L.A., and his advice for actors.
Embrace the doors that open for you.
Playing the role of Paul Torres on the Kevin Bacon-starring “The Following,” was unlike anything Canto had done before. Working on the show has opened “interesting doors, funny doors, and great doors” for the actor. “Professionally speaking, Paul was a great character and I liked getting into his mind. It was a bit twisted, but it was definitely a challenge and quite the endeavor to step into that world and come home without a scratch. It opened a lot of doors in terms of character acting, which is something I feel very passionately about.”
“Sometimes we have to chill out.”
Because “Mixology” is such a drastically different show than “The Following,” Canto has had to switch gears completely. “It’s just been an entirely different ride, and great, in a very different way,” he says. “It’s like going to school every day; it’s like being on break in school every day—having fun, being witty, being sarcastic.”
Simply stated, on the set of “Mixology,” Canto learned that “sometimes we have to chill out. Drama is too much when you’re in that reality for such a long time. I don’t think that can be healthy. You need to step away. Laugh at reality, laugh with friends, and we need to make fun of ourselves.”
“Be an asset.”
Working on a show with such a large ensemble like “Mixology,” Canto has come back to an idea that’s really moved him in the past, and still does today. “Be an asset for everybody you want to work with,” he says. “There’s this tendency to be concerned with oneself, and it’s understandable. I believe it’s very important to be an asset, and to understand projects as a whole, and not only think of yourself.”
Catch Canto and the rest of the cast of “Mixology” tomorrow night on ABC at 9:30 p.m., and see him as Sunspot in “X-Men: Days of Future Past” out May 23.