Olmo: Aivan Uttapa on how his 14-year-old role felt personal

Aivan Uttapa leads Olmo, a coming-of-age movie now on Prime Video. He told me the whole attitude he brought to the role was that "this is personal." I had a chance to watch it, and I found it very heartfelt and very relatable.

His character is a 14-year-old boy whose wish to have fun with friends keeps running into responsibilities at home. Uttapa talked about how he got the part, how he built chemistry with the cast, and the improvised take that ended up in the film.

Aivan Uttapa on the balance between friends and family in Olmo

Uttapa called his character complex. He's a 14-year-old kid who wants to go out, have fun with his friends, do things and chase girls. There is a balance to him, though. Uttapa said the character has to choose between his friends and his family, "but in the end, he always chooses his family." He makes sure to keep his priorities straight. Uttapa also described him as "just a regular kid" who wants to have fun and grow up.

I saw that, and I related to it. Growing up, I wanted to do things with friends, hang out, get cool things and fit in. But his character keeps running into obstacles that are out of his control. I think that makes him very complex. He isn't a single-layer character, and there is a lot to tackle.

How Uttapa won the lead after the search reached LA and New York

Uttapa got the audition in 2023. He was told it was the lead, so his first question was what the film was about. When he read the breakdown, his reaction was: "Oh, yeah, this is just me. Like, this is easy, right?" He recorded the tape and then didn't think much more about it. He believes it was sometime in August when the callback came.

The first audition was a self-tape, the second was on a call and the third was in person. After one callback and a later meeting, Fernando told him he wanted to offer him the part. Uttapa said it has been a crazy ride ever since. I had heard that Fernando's immediate reaction to his audition was that he was the one.

Uttapa got curious one day on set and asked about it. Fernando told him the team had held many castings in different places. He said they searched in LA and New York and beyond, and then told him: "And you ended up being the one." Uttapa called it a blessing and said it was really cool to hear.

Olmo is more dramatic than Night Swim, Uttapa says

Uttapa is in nearly every scene of the film. He said this role is a lot more dramatic than his past work. Before Olmo, his last project was Night Swim, which he described as more of a thriller. He said that one was cool too, but very different.

Olmo is set in the '70s. Uttapa said it is about family and friends and about having different desires. It was a change for him. Because it was a coming-of-age story about a kid who wanted some fun, he said making it was pretty fun.

Why Uttapa felt so personally attached to the character

His character is 14 in the movie. Uttapa is about 17 now, and he was closer to that age when they filmed, so the gap between actor and role is small. When I asked how personally attached he felt, he said, "Oh, very personal." As a 14-year-old, he said, you want to have fun, go out with friends and do things, so the character was pretty much him.

The other personal side was getting into the character and making him relatable. He wanted people to relate to the boy taking care of his father, spending time with his friend and choosing that friend over his family. He said those were some of the dynamics he wanted to capture for other people to relate to. He said he tried to make the performance as truthful and as authentic as possible.

I felt that in every scene where there was nothing his character could do but stay home, be responsible and act as the caretaker. The scene that got me most was his fight with Miguel. He had been there through everything, and I thought the friendship was breaking.

Building chemistry with Diego and Rosa off set

When I asked how the cast broke the tension around emotional scenes, Uttapa talked about meeting Diego. He said they were both a little socially awkward at first. It was their first time on set, and he didn't know what to expect. He decided to be himself and let the rest follow. Diego was a cool kid, but Uttapa felt they needed something more to build the chemistry and the bond.

So he, Diego and Rosa, who plays his sister Anna, hung out every weekend during the shoot. Rosa would tell him to get ready because she was picking him up. They went to the movies, went out to eat, laughed and traded jokes. Uttapa said the chemistry got to a great place, but he stressed that they weren't forced into it. "It was like we we wanted to," he said.

The night driving scene was Uttapa's best day on set

His favorite day on set was the night driving scene. Uttapa said he had always wanted to make a movie about kids being kids, driving around and having fun. Fernando told him he would be driving, listening to music and screaming out the window, and Uttapa thought it would be crazy. During the shoot he posted a behind-the-scenes slideshow on Instagram. It includes a clip of him driving while he and Diego listen to music. He said that sums up what the movie is.

I loved that the whole mission was getting a stereo to a party. Uttapa said people have compared the film to Superbad. In that movie the characters wanted to get alcohol to the party, while in this one they want to get the stereo there.

The stereo was a huge prop. Diego always had it, Uttapa said. The opening shot of them walking up a hill took about seven or eight takes, and they kept passing it back and forth the whole time. He said it was a challenge, but never tiring.

The improvised mattress take that made the final cut

When I asked about a more challenging day on set, Uttapa picked the mattress scene. Fernando told him to remove the sheet and pillows, take out the mattress, hold it up and carry it into the hallway. Uttapa thought it sounded easy. They did take after take, with Fernando asking for more emotion each time.

The take they used was "honestly improv," he said. In it, the mattress hits the dresser and everything falls off. Uttapa hadn't planned that at all. When it happened he didn't know what to do, so they kept going, and that became the take in the film. He called it very challenging, but again never tiring.

In that scene you can feel the chaos as the family members yell at each other, give orders and trade blame. I felt that dynamic couldn't be faked. For me, it showed the chemistry he had been describing.

What Uttapa wants to tackle next

Uttapa said he wants to tackle as much as he can. Acting has always been number one for him. He called being able to use art and expression so people can relate to you one of the greatest things. He sees music, singing, skateboarding and filmmaking the same way, as forms of expression that are all him.

He wants big roles that take him out of his comfort zone and let him be vulnerable. Whatever comes, he said, he will welcome it with open arms.

Olmo is human, universal and tender

Asked to describe Olmo for people who haven't seen it, Uttapa called it human and universal. He added, "It's very tender." I agree. I felt it all the way through, and I didn't think this movie was going to affect me the way it did.