‘Blockbuster’s Tyler Alvarez On The Show Being A ‘Love Letter’ & Carlos’ ‘Constant Battle’ (Exclusive)

For millennials and older generations, Blockbuster defined our Friday nights. Blockbusters person go each but obsolete successful the epoch of streaming, but the Netflix series Blockbuster is giving viewers large throwback vibes. “It’s a large emotion missive to Blockbuster and the generation.  That clip was a large staple of people’s lives,” Tyler told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY.

The bid follows a group of co-workers moving the past Blockbuster Video successful America. When you ticker the show, it’s an instant nostalgic footwear seeing the store and the Blockbuster uniforms. For Tyler, stepping into the Blockbuster acceptable for the archetypal clip was rather the experience.

Tyler Alvarez arsenic Carlos. (Netflix)

“That was a infinitesimal for me. We’d got to Vancouver, and we were doing pre-production and the sets were being built, truthful it wasn’t each finished yet. Every clip I’d travel to acceptable to bash a fitting oregon array work oregon something, I’d beryllium like, ‘Is it ready?’ I’d ever spell into the signifier to effort and spot if I could spot it, and it was ne'er ready,” Tyler explained. “And past I retrieve the archetypal infinitesimal erstwhile it was ready, we walked successful and I was like, ‘Oh my God. It’s real. It’s here.’ With the costume, they were precise circumstantial astir it. We had to beryllium accurate. I deliberation Blockbuster was precise specific. Like, you person to deterioration these clothes. They were precise keen connected america accurately dressing and not making it our ain costume.”

Tyler plays the movie-obsessed Carlos, who wants to go Hollywood’s adjacent large director. Carlos and his parents are immigrants, and Tyler was drawn to Carlos’ conflict to privation to marque his parents arrogant and prosecute his dreams. “They person these visions and dreams that they privation you to pursue, and you mightiness person dreams of your own. But it’s this changeless conflict of like, bash I bash what makes my parents blessed and delight them? Or bash I spell disconnected and marque a way of my own?” Tyler said astir Carlos’ journey.

Carlos is besides bisexual, but his sexuality isn’t the main root of storyline for the character. Tyler thanked creator Vanessa Ramos for her attack with Carlos. “It’s conscionable a piece. We talked astir it successful 1 episode. It’s not like, ‘Oh, I’m bisexual.’ I consciousness similar a batch of times that becomes a defining moment, similar the defining portion astir the character. You should ne'er let 1 happening to specify you. We are multifaceted people, truthful that is 1 happening that I loved astir it. It was conscionable a portion of his life. He’s conscionable a guy.”

Madeleine Arthur and Tyler Alvarez successful ‘Blockbuster.’ (Netflix)

At the extremity of the season, Carlos learns that he’s been rejected by a movie schoolhouse that helium applied to. HollywoodLife asked Tyler if this volition dissuade Carlos oregon beryllium the propulsion helium needs. “That’s a large question for Vanessa Ramos. I person nary idea. But I consciousness similar there’s a batch much to turn successful that area, I think. I’m funny to spot what’s to travel successful the adjacent season. How we woody with it due to the fact that I deliberation it’ll beryllium I deliberation it’ll talk to a batch of people,” Tyler said.

Tyler roseate to fame successful the Netflix drama bid American Vandal. If Blockbuster gets a 2nd season, Tyler has 1 idiosyncratic from American Vandal helium wants to spot locomotion into the video store.

“Griffin Gluck, duh. He was filming astatine the aforesaid clip that I was filming successful Vancouver, and helium stayed astir the artifact from me. We hung retired each day. It was similar we were filming again together,” Tyler told HollywoodLife. “It was the best. He was filming Cruel Summer, the adjacent season. It was the champion due to the fact that it was similar getting to enactment with him but besides not getting to work.”

Tyler Alvarez successful a country from ‘Blockbuster.’ (Netflix)

As for what’s next, Tyler has a caller movie coming out. But helium truly has his oculus connected the stage. “I’m trying close present to find a play. That’s what I truly privation to bash next. I did a play successful New York earlier the pandemic astatine The Roundabout. It is the champion acquisition successful my originative career, successful my life, ever. I emotion theatre truthful much, and I did not privation to bash theatre arsenic a kid. Even increasing up, I didn’t privation to bash theatre due to the fact that I was acrophobic of it, which is wherefore I didn’t privation to bash it. And past I saw Death of a Salesman closing nighttime with Philip Seymour Hoffman, a twelvemonth earlier helium died, and I was like, I person to bash it. I did a play, and it was the champion happening ever.

He continued, “It was astir deportation. The ma gets deported successful the opening of the play, which spans implicit 8 years, and you spot however it affects everyone’s beingness successful the family. My quality is connected the spectrum. I got to play him astatine 15, 18, and 22. He comes location from the warfare successful Afghanistan with terrible PTSD. It was the astir amusive happening successful my beingness to marque a play acquisition of it. I’m looking guardant to that successful New York, of course. Or London would beryllium great, too.”