By: Ally Brewster
Charlie Bushnell is an up-and-coming actor that stars as Bobby Cañero-Reed in the Disney+ original series Diary of a Future President. The Disney+ original series produced by Gina Rodriguez’s production company I Can and I Will Productions is told through creator and producer Elena’s narration as written in her diary. The series follows the daily events of Elena’s life and her interactions with friends and family. She lives with her older brother, Bobby (portrayed by Charlie); and mother, Gabi. Elena has a strong desire to become a president of the United States, which is made visible through flash-forwards to her political campaign as an adult. All 10 episodes of the highly-anticipated Second Season is available on Disney+ to watch now.
We had the opportunity to ask Charlie about acting on the show and balancing his acting life with his personal, high school life:
You decided that you wanted to act while binging Stranger Things. What about the tv show inspired you to start acting? What other television and TV shows do you look to for inspiration?
Yeah! Stranger Things created such an extraordinary world, and I just fell in love with everything about it – the characters, the story, etc.… It was so unique, and I’d never seen anything like it before. All the main characters are kids around my age, so I could really relate to them. For some reason, even though I had never thought about it before, it just hit me that I could do that too… and now I’m here! It’s been a pretty wild ride so far, and I appreciate every minute of it. Another one of my all-time favorite shows is The Office.
Has it been difficult to balance high school and acting? How do you deal with the busy schedule and still maintain the activities you’ve previously enjoyed?
It can definitely be a lot, but I make it a priority to always create time for myself and relax, even when life is crazy busy. When we filmed season 2, it was during the school year, and as students, we had to do at least 3 hours of school a day on set, so we basically had no breaks besides lunch, lol. When we weren’t filming, we were doing school, and when we weren’t doing school, we were filming. But I LOVE what I do, and even though it can be quite stressful at times, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
What has been your favorite part of acting in Diary of a Future President?
I literally cannot think of one negative thing or experience I’ve had while working on this show, so every part is my favorite part, haha… but if I had to choose, definitely the people. I have made some life-long friends on this show. We all get along so well and always have an absolute blast together on set. I love my Diary family so much! ❤️
Where do you hope your character Bobby Cañero-Reed goes in this next season? Can you give any teasers for what’s next for him in the new season?
In season 2, Bobby is in high school and has everything all planned out. He’s looking forward to joining the varsity tennis team and getting closer to Liam; however, things don’t exactly go as planned. As expected, after entering high school, Bobby’s world really opens up, and he meets a lot of really cool new people.
Diary of a Future President is one of your biggest roles. Has it taught you anything new about acting and the business? What have you taken away from the experience?
Well, Bobby is really my only role (so far), haha… But yes! I have learned so much while working on this show. As an actor, watching pros like Gina Rodriguez, Selenis Leyva, Michael Weaver, Jessica Marie Garcia, and others just do their thing is like the ultimate master class in acting. Everyone on this show is so incredibly talented; it’s insane. But I’ve also learned so much about the filmmaking process as a whole and just how much goes into it. When you watch the final product of a movie or show, you really only see the actor. Still, something I’ve really opened my eyes to while working on this show is that literally every single person in the cast and on the crew – from the lighting department to the camera operators to HMU to wardrobe, etc.… plays such a crucial part in the making of a TV show or movie. It would not be possible without every single one of them—huge shoutout to our Diary crew. You guys are the best! ❤️
About Charlie Bushnell:
Los Angeles-native Charlie Bushnell was born into an artistic family and was always destined to be in entertainment. The son of a musician, grandson of a jazz singer and nephew to a film and television actor, at just 10 years old he started making movies with his friends.
While binge-watching “Stranger Things”, he made the decision to pursue acting. In the beginning, Bushnell self-trained by memorizing his favorite film monologues. He participated in school plays and eventually started taking professional acting classes at John Rosenfeld Studios, Ruskin Academy, amongst others.
Auditions quickly followed and he soon landed the role of Bobby Cañero-Reed in the Disney+ coming-of-age comedy series Diary of a Future President, executive produced by Gina Rodriguez through her production company, I Can and I Will.
The series follows 13-year old Cuban-American Elena in her journey to become the future president of the United States while navigating the ups-and-downs of middle school. Bobby is Elena’s sweet and mischievous older brother, now a freshman in high school.
Presently, you will see Charlie reprise his role as Bobby in the upcoming season on Disney+. You will see him grow and blossom as he navigates high school.
Off screen, Charlie, currently a junior in high school, loves playing tennis, camping, playing guitar, going to the beach, volunteering at a food shelter and enjoying time with his family and friends.
