Meet Disney's Bunk'd Star Raphael Alejandro
Written by Gabriela Sobral Images by Lily K Photography
Alejandro kicked off his acting career doing commercials before landing, at the young age of 5, his first television role as ‘Roland,’ Robin Hood’s son, on ABC’s “Once Upon a Time.” He went on to appear on the series, “Almost Human” and “Olympus.” Alejandro’s film credits include “Badge of Honor” and “Kindergarten Cop 2.” For his work in “Almost Human,” Alejandro received a Young Artist Awards nomination. He was also honored with a Joey Award (honoring young Canadian performers) for his role in “Kindergarten Cop 2.” Recently, Raphael stole the hearts of audiences across thee world in his starring role of ‘Hugo’ in “How to be a Latin Lover” with Salma Hayek and Eugenio Derbez. Proud son of a Brazilian mother and a Panamanian father, Raphael is the youngest of three siblings. the Canadian native loves to play sports with his family, watch television and movies and travel. He is fluent in Portuguese, French, Spanish and English. Causes near and dear to his heart include environmental issues such as pollution of our oceans and global warming. He also hopes to raise awareness for breast cancer research as his mother is a survivor. Alongside acting, Raphael is a huge lover of education and can see himself one day being an environmental lawyer or paleontologist. He loves acting because every day is a big adventure and he never knows who he may be playing next. We had the pleasure of talking to this talent young man and he gave us a little glimpse into his life, his role in the Disney Series Bunk’d and more. See the questions below. Q: When did your start acting? A: I really started acting at the age of 4. I followed the footsteps of my older sister, Dalila Bela, and my older brother, Bruce Salomon, both actors as well. I saw them acting and having so much fun, that I decided to do it too, and I discovered that I love acting.
Q: What’s your favorite thing about? A: My favorite thing is that I can put myself in the shoes of other characters that most of the time are not similar to myself, and so I learn their point of view as I play those characters. Q: Can you tell us a bit more about your character on Bunk’d? A: Matteo is a very cautious kid. He is a scared of a lot of things. He is a germ freak and he loves to learn. His favorite subject is Science. He started on Season 3 not wanting to go to camp, but now, he really enjoys spending time with his friends at Camp Kikiwaka. Q: Do you think you and your character are similar? A: Matteo and I are somewhat similar in the fact that I also love to learn and my favorite subject is Science. I’m a bit of a germ freak myself, but I’m not such a cautious kid. I love trying new adventures since I’m a bit of a daredevil. Q: Anything about the new season of Bunk’d that you can share with us? A: Bunk’d - Season 4 has been amazing so far. The Executives Producers and writers are really doing a great job. The story lines are interesting and they have a lot of heart and meaningful messages for the kids. We started this season with 15 episodes to shoot, but because the show is so loved by our fans, we just finished shooting episode 30 of 35. And, we just got pick up to do a Season 5 (making history in Disney Channel as the first non-animated show to have 5 Seasons). I would like to thank all our fans for making a Season 5 of this show a reality. Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 years? A: I believe that in 5 years I will be doing the same as I am today. I love acting and I would like to continue doing that for a long time. Also, I see myself being an ambassador for the environment, especially our oceans.