San Antonio-born actor Antonio Raul Garcia is on his way back to his hometown after spending most of his childhood in Los Angeles pursuing a Hollywood career.
The 16-year-old talent has done well for himself over the past decade, landing roles in TV series Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Mayans M.C. along with voice work on animated films including Poupelle of Chimney Town and The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run.
Garcia and his mother are moving back to the Alamo City this summer. He’ll start his junior year at Central Catholic High School in the fall.
In his latest film, The Life of Chuck, Garcia has a small role as Brian Krantz, the “intelligent and good-humored” teenage son of the title character, Charles “Chuck” Krantz (Tom Hiddleston). Adapted from a Stephen King novella, The Life of Chuck is a sci-fi drama told in reverse-chronological order. As it unfolds, viewers understand how Chuck and how his life have altered the universe.
Garcia’s contribution to the film is a single scene, but it’s an emotional one that demonstrates Chuck’s importance to his family. Writer-director Mike Flanagan (Doctor Sleep) said he did a “disservice” to Garcia because much of the “incredible work” the actor delivered didn’t make the final cut of the film. Flanagan explained that he’d “overwritten” the scene.
“Antonio is wonderful,” Flanagan told the Current during a recent interview. “He came in and delivered an incredibly emotionally taxing performance on one day and did it across from a major movie star. I thought his work was beautiful. I only wish you could see the full extent of what he brought to the set. I think he has a very bright future in this business.”
During our interview, Garcia talked about his experience landing a role in The Life of Chuck and what it takes to cry when the cameras are rolling. He also discussed his scene with Hiddleston, whom he knew best as Loki in the Marvel Universe.
The Life of Chuck debuted in San Antonio theaters on Friday, June 13.
What prompted the decision to move back to San Antonio?
Well, the acting industry has been a lot different in the past couple of years as far as how to submit auditions and where you need to be geographically. Before, you’d have to fly out to New York or Los Angeles, so casting directors could get a feel for you. But recently, a lot of casting has switched over to Zoom. So, you can really live anywhere. I’m excited about going to Central Catholic and hanging out with my friends and experiencing more life.
What was the process like to land your role in The Life of Chuck?
It was right in the middle of the school year. It was just an average day of self-tape auditions. If you’re lucky, you get three or four a week. Then the next week, you get nothing. There were a lot of big names and a lot of talented people [attached to The Life of Chuck], so I recorded [my audition], sent it in and hoped for the best. Before I knew it, we were shooting in Alabama. It was a quick turnaround.
Filmmaker Mike Flanagan has directed projects adapted from Stephen King’s work before — Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep. What was your experience like working with him?
Mike is a really amazing director to work with. For a director to be able to communicate the precise amount of emotion they want in a scene to an A-list actor like Tom Hiddleston and then to a kid like me, who was 14 at the time, was great. I don’t think I’ve really lived enough life to grasp some of the stuff he was trying to convey to me. But Mike has a really good way — not even with words but emotions — to explain what he wants.
What about your scene with Tom?
Tom is someone that I’ve grown up watching on TV [as the Marvel character Loki]. I’ve seen his action figures at Walmart and his toys at McDonald’s. It was a little weird, but it was nice to be in a very emotional scene with him and to be able to feed off his acting chops. It was almost like a dream-type thing. I was crying for a whole day! At first, [the production] wanted me to use fake tears, but I knew I had to show what I could do in front of these seasoned veterans.
As you’ve grown in this industry, have the more emotional scenes become easier for you to perform?
When I was younger, I would do scenes like that, and the tears would come out. Since I’ve grown, I’m able to replicate some of the emotions even better. It’s not the first time [I’ve done an emotional scene], but it’s definitely the most confident I’ve been in a dramatic scene. I just have to get in the zone. A minute or two later, I have tears coming down my face. Your brain feels foggier. You put your body in distress. It’s draining, but it makes the scene a lot more real. You take a lunch break, and then you have to do it again.
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This article appears in Jun 12-25, 2025.