Henri Esteve Previews What’s Ahead For His Character on ‘grown-ish’ [Exclusive Interview]

Known for his roles on Revenge and Homecoming, Henri Esteve has recently joined the cast of grown-ish, and he’s already making quite the impression.

Esteve plays Javi, a graduate student Ana is working with for her internship — and who she’ll soon find will challenge her in a way she never expected.

I had a few questions for Esteve about his role on the series and what we can look forward to from his interactions with Ana moving forward.

Tell-Tale TV: What drew you to the role of Javi on grown-ish, initially?

Henri Esteve: The show at large. I was a fan of the way grown-ish is pushing boundaries and presenting conversations or posing important questions in a really fun creative way. Our writers do a great job of exploring subjects instead of preaching about them, and that’s exciting to me from a storytelling perspective as well as just a way to approach the world.

Tell-Tale TV: We’ve gotten a brief glimpse of your character so far, but what else can you tell us about him?

Esteve: He is a Cuban Republican grad student from Miami, who is figuring it out. I think every character on the show is being presented with situations and problems that will ultimately help them figure out who they are. Javi is on the same path.

Tell-Tale TV: Your character is first introduced as Ana’s boss for her internship, which has her focused on voter registration. That’s obviously a timely subject. What responsibility do you think television shows have when it comes to politics?

Esteve: I don’t think film or TV has a responsibility to be political, [but] I do think it has a responsibility to be human. If a show or film is choosing to be political, I believe it has a responsibility to be honest and not to push an agenda. To promote empathy. In today’s climate, I think we are so quick to make politics an “Us vs. Them” mentality and that doesn’t help any of us.

Tell-Tale TV: When we first see Javi, we learn that Ana is interested in him and wants to impress him. What can we expect from their relationship moving forward?

Esteve: They remind each other of home and have an instant chemistry because of that. So we’ll get to see that grow throughout the season. They grew up in the same place with the same type of family, so of course, they have a bunch of similarities, but yet are very different people.

Tell-Tale TV: What would you say has been the biggest challenge in playing this role so far?

Esteve: Javi and I are very different. Politically, personally, ideologically. I think the biggest one is Javi is a lot more patient than I am. That has been a challenge and fun exercise to shift perspective and take my foot off the pedal a little bit.

Tell-Tale TV: What’s the best thing about working on grown-ish?

Esteve: The vibe on set. Everyone is happy to be there. There is no tension between cast members, or crew members, or writers whatsoever. Everyone is genuinely happy to come to work every day, and that makes long days seem a lot shorter. Nothing like being on an unhappy set for 14 hours.

Tell-Tale TV: Fans will also recognize you from your role on Revenge. Do you have any favorite memories that stand out from working on that show?

Esteve: I had never worked on TV before that. So I’ll never forget the first day on set. We were shooting on location at a house in Malibu — it was Nolan’s house — and I remember just pretending I was doing but feeling totally lost. I knew I just had to trust the process.

Tell-Tale TV: When you aren’t busy working, how do you like to spend your time?

Esteve: I, for the most part, am always trying to stay creative. Whether that’s directing shorts, writing, working on plays. I feel pretty lost without some sort of creative outlet, so it’s really just self-preservation.

Tell-Tale TV: And finally, what’s one thing fans might be surprised to learn about you?

Esteve: I am an obsessive basketball fan.

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Be sure to catch Henri Esteve on grown-ish, airing Thursdays at 8/7c on Freeform.

*Featured image credit: Bobby Quillard

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