Young actor Joshua Hoffman is a teenage jack of all trades! YE got the chance to talk to him about his role on Nickelodeon’s fantastical Talia in the Kitchen, his love of music, and his future in show business.
If you’re not familiar with the magical comedy then we can tell you that Talia in the Kitchen mixes together drama, magic, and cooking to make a modern telenovela for the young adult! And Josh plays Rudy Rosales on the show, Talia’s guitar-toting downstairs neighbor who nurses a crush on our titular character.
“Talia in the Kitchen is a really fun show. It’s very creative. I think the writing is really funny, and I just love the fact that the writers decided to make the food on the show magical. We’re going to take two things that kids love and stick them together!”
Joshua’s not the only one excited by this unique concept. The show in a different incarnation has already had a successful run in Spanish, and a second season has now been ordered up for this year!
On the show’s positive feedback, Josh says, “I have had some good reactions. On social media I’ve had a lot of people saying really nice things, which is always good. My friend’s siblings are watching it and love it. And that kind of reaction feels really nice!”
On playing Rudy Rosales, Josh tells us, “My character is just this really nice artistic guitar player that lives right downstairs from where Talia lives for the summer. He enjoys playing music, and he’s not very athletic, but he’s always trying to do things to impress Talia because he has a crush on her.“
Both Josh and his character are talented and creative with a great musical talent, but real life Josh differs from fictional Rudy in that music is not where Josh’s passions end. Of all of his interests and pursuits, Josh explains, “I’m kind of like a Valerie, I think. Valerie is a girl on the show who’s always trying something new every week. I’m that type of guy. I’ve been doing most of these things for years.” These passions include music, parkour, baseball, and sign language.
And like his character, he’s been interested in being a musician for quite some time, but for his Talia audition, he really wanted to wow the producers. So he took matter into his own hands, as it were. “I went to a garage sale and found four really old guitar books on music theory and piano theory and how to really create songs. For my audition, I made up something to play for the director, kind of the night before, threw it together. After I got on set and I played it the director came up to me and said, ‘That sounds fantastic, but it sounds way too professional. It sounds like you’re 25 and you’ve been playing guitar for 15 years!’ It was the biggest compliment to me!” Go, Josh!!
With dedication like that maybe we’ll be hearing some original music from this young talent soon? “I would love to release some original music actually. I’m really working hard on two very specific songs right now–one on guitar and one on piano, just to make sure I can do one on both. Then we’ll see what happens from there, but yes I am looking to record something.“
Here’s hoping! One thing is clear from our time with Joshua, he’s truly passionate about every single thing he does. And with all that passion, what advice would he give others to who have their own dreams and passions? “My advice to kids is no matter where you are or whatever you are pursuing, nothing is impossible, and you can become great at your passion. It just requires hard work, a strong work ethic, and time. “
Well said, Josh!!! You can catch up on Talia In The Kitchen on Amazon Prime right now, and be on the lookout for more from this young and talented actor!
