Interview by Carol Wright | Photographer: Tamara Tihanyi
We got to chat with actor Yonas Kibreab about what inspired him to act and playing Luna in the hour anthology series Into The Dark.
Did a certain movie or television show initially inspire you to act?
Actually, my journey to acting came through my love of the sport of tennis and creating funny Instagram content. I started to play tennis at the age of six years old. Few months into playing tennis, I also started to create tennis-related Instagram content that was funny and entertaining. My Instagram content caught the eye of the United States Tennis Association (USTA), so the USTA and US Open invited me to be a KidCaster at the 2018 US Open in New York City. As a KidCaster, I got to create social media content during the tournament for USTA and US Open social media accounts and interview professional tennis players, and participate in press conferences. I enjoyed being on camera and this experience inspired me to pursue an acting career.
Who are some actors that you hope to work with one day?
There are so many, but my top five would probably be Denzel Washington, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Kevin Hart, Tom Holland, and Tiffany Hadish. I really admire these actors as people and as actors.
Tell our readers a bit about Into the Dark. What made you want to be a part of the project?
Into the Dark is an American horror anthology television series produced by Blumhouse Productions for Hulu. The series is in its second season and consists of 12 feature-length episodes. Each feature episode is holiday-themed. I played the lead character Luna in ‘Blood Moon’ the final episode of season 2.
‘Blood Moon’ is a story about a mother and her son, and what lengths a mother will go to protect her son, who is hiding a big secret. I play Luna, the 10-year old son of Esme. My big secret is that every full moon I turn into a werewolf and a creature that succumbs to his primal urges for blood and mayhem. Even though Luna is hiding this big secret, he longs to be a normal child that has friends, goes to regular school, goes to friends’ birthday parties, and just wants to be a typical kid. Because his mother is trying to protect his secret he spends a lot of time being alone. With all the challenges that Luna and Esme face, the bond between them is very strong, Esme would do anything to protect her son, and we learn in the movie that Luna will do anything to protect his mother. I was very excited to be cast and be part of a Blumhouse horror production and to work with the amazing actress Megalyn Echikunwoke and director Emma Tammi.
Are there similarities between you and your character Luna?
Luna is really a typical 10-year old boy, except that he has this big secret where he transforms into a werewolf during a full moon. The cool thing was that I have been obsessed with werewolves so much that I was a werewolf for three Halloweens in a row, with full-on costumes that my mom would make for me. So I got totally into it during the transformation scenes in the movie. ‘Blood Moon’ was also a story about the relationship between mom and son. Luna and his mom have a very close bond, and they both protect each other. I am also very close to my mom, which helped me create the special mother/son chemistry we had in the movie with Megalyn Echikunwoke.
You can also be seen in Launchpad on Disney+. What was your favorite part of working on “Growing Fangs?”
My favorite part was playing Miguel, a young boy that is half-vampire and half-human. Miguel loves his vampire side more than his human side. He is a bloodthirsty rebel that likes all things vampire. The story is about discovering and accepting one’s identity. As a bi-racial and multicultural child, I could relate so much to the story. I am also really proud to be part of the inaugural Disney Launchpad shorts, which is a platform for diverse writers and directors to create short films for Disney+.
What advice do you have for aspiring, young actors?
It’s a long Journey so have fun. It is important to have fun, make friends, and enjoy the process and the journey. It is easy to feel overwhelmed balancing school, auditions, and work. So taking time to have fun with family and friends is very important especially as a young actor with a long future in the entertainment business. Also not booking a role does not mean failure. The majority of actors during their careers will hear “no” more than “yes.” I think that just getting to audition for a role is a privilege, and going further to callbacks, director/producer sessions, and network tests, is a huge win.