Asher Angel‘s career is quickly on the rise. The Jewish actor has been working in Tinseltown since the age of five. However, Angel’s career seems to be finally steering in a strong direction thanks to his time in his biggest role to date: Shazam! and Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Like most actors in Hollywood, the young star had to scratch and claw his way up through the system in order to get a decent opportunity.
Though it seems as if his time as Billy Batson has come to an end (unless James Gunn announces a sequel to Shazam! Fury of the Gods), it certainly doesn’t seem that the end of the road is near for the 20-year-old. Angel is a young star on the rise in both music and entertainment and if he continues to give fun and compelling like he did in both Shazam! movies, then it would be shocking if his stock didn’t go beyond the DC superhero films.
Asher Angel’s Humble Beginnings
Just how did Angel even get into the arts at the age of five? It turns out, Angel’s grandpa is a screenwriter – Dennis Yares. That wasn’t the only family member in the acting business as his mother was striving to be an actress. Yares wrote a film called Jolene and Angel auditioned for the role. Luckily for him, his grandpa saw the potential in Angel and cast him for the role.
However, Asher was exactly sure if being an actor was truly for him. He ventured off to professional theatre during that time. Around the age of 12, Angel figured that Hollywood was the place to be and tried hard to convince his mother to move out to LA. He ended up cutting a deal with her as he had to do 30 local shows – he lived in Phoenix, Arizona at the time – to truly prove his dedication as an actor. Angel proved just how serious he was taking his career and his parents eventually supported his decision to go full-time into the business.
Andi Mack
Though his grandpa was a screenwriter, Angel didn’t get any sort of advantage when finally transitioning into Tinseltown. He had a few roles here and there during the early days of his career. Most notably, Angel guest starred on the short-lived Nicky, Ricky, Dicky, & Dawn as Jasper on Nickelodeon. His biggest guest-starring role was on Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.
Then a huge opportunity finally came in Angel’s direction. During pilot season, Asher got the script and went through a long audition process. Clearly, executives were impressed by his performance because one phone call changed his life: “My mom and I were on our way to the airport in an Uber, and we were really late for our flight,” Asher told The Park Record. “The phone rang, and it was my dad, who told us I got the part. We just screamed. It was definitely a night to remember.”
Asher played Jonah Beck, the crush of the main character, Andi Mack. The two would eventually start dating on the show but broke up way before the series final. It was a tricky balance for the actor as he had to work and do school and the same time, but Asher managed to be consistent in both aspects for the entire three seasons of the series. It’s unknown why the series ended after only three seasons, but the comedy-drama was able to finish its story and tie any loose ends. Asher’s time on Andi Mack was done, but his career was just getting started.
Shazam!, Music, And His Future Going Forward
Asher was a hot commodity following the end of Andi Mack. However, he was doing another passion on the side of acting: music. The actor got a vocal coach at the age of 13, and his musical aspirations continued from there. Still, one of his dreams was to star in a superhero film, and at the age of 15, he got the role of Billy Batson.
In Shazam! and Shazam! Fury of the Gods, the actor got to live out of his dreams in participating in the DC Universe. Unfortunately, the live-action DC brand wasn’t in a good state due to the lackluster box office returns for a good portion of their films. Black Adam was the final straw, with Warner Brothers hiring James Gunn and Peter Safran to take over the DC universe.
Gunn and Safran would announce a new plan for a shared universe, which sadly, didn’t involve Shazam. Fury of the Gods bombed at the box office, and the series appears to be dead at this moment. Though his superhero dreams have been crushed, Asher continues to work for his talents. Deadline confirmed that he would star opposite Mckenna Grace in 99 Days.
The film follows a girl who faces summer vacation stuck for 99 days with the boy whose heart she broke, and the boy she broke it for… his brother. There’s no confirmation of when the film will be released.
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