After being showed a Tumblr post by one of my friends, I was lucky enough to be able to interview a guy named Armani who just so happens to look and sound just like Aladdin. Coincidence? I think not. #armaniforaladdin
Armani Salado is a 21-year-old born in Boston, Massachusetts and is now residing in Orlando, Florida. He got into acting at a young age, mimicking characters from movies and performing in front of his family and friends and began martial arts at the age of 6, only to join a competitive martial arts team at the age of 12 and performed around the country with skits from movies and story lines using costumes, which sparked his "acting bug". At 17, Armani got with his first agency and his acting career has done nothing but grow ever since.
So you have previous experiences with acting? Do you have any favorite roles you've taken on?
A: Yes. I've been in Insurgent: The Divergent series as a dauntless rebel and 3 short films as the lead ("Orphanolo as Teaco, "The Catch" as William, and "Colors of Innocence" as Keith, which are all coming out this year). My favorite role has been Keith in "Colors of Innocence". It really pushed me as an actor to tap into a double-sided character, tricking the audience that he's this good and genuine guy, but really is a dark, twisted fella who does something terrible to his girlfriend's little sister. I really felt myself grow as an artist with that character.
What's your ultimate goal with asking people to spread the word about you potentially being cast as Aladdin?
A: My ultimate goal is to have it retweeted so much that when it's time for my agent to submit me to the casting director of the movie, she's able to show the casting director how many people support me as Aladdin. Social media has become such an important factor in the film industry.
How did you find out about the Aladdin role?
A: In 2015, I remember hearing that Disney was making an Aladdin movie and my friends and family kept telling me to post about because I look so much like Aladdin. Eventually, I posted about it and got a little bit of recognition. I ended up making 2 videos of me singing "A Whole New World" and "One Jump Ahead".
Is acting something you've always wanted to do? Is it something you can always picture yourself doing?
A: As long as I can remember, I've always wanted to be an actor. I knew by watching people like Leonardo DiCaprio in "Basketball Diaries" and "Titanic" and Russel Crowe in "Gladiator", I wanted to be just like them. I sometimes tell myself that I can always do something else if this (acting) doesn't work out, but I know that I'm lying to myself. I think I was born to be an actor. It's something I dream about, think about daily, and study upon hourly. It's easy for me to say that acting has been my first true love and it would be a true honor and blessing to be able to do it for the rest of my life.
Check out Armani's YouTube videos here and here and follow his Instagram and Twitter @armani_salado
Help Armani out by retweeting https://twitter.com/armani_salado/status/787732892080345088 this tweet and using the hashtag #armaniforaladdin!
