COLLIDER: What do you think would surprise people to learn about being an actor in Hollywood?
There’s a lot of flashiness.
you could get lost in that world, and you shouldn’t.
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You should always remember why you started, and that’s something that can see you through.
What are a few things or something that you wish someone had told you earlier in your career?
CENTINEO: To just be honest when you’re auditioning.
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Nice to meet you.
Just be happy and bubbly?
It’s tough, but I’m here and I’m happy to be here, and thank you.
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[Laughs] What was the question?
Things that you’ve learned along the way.
Let’s get ready.
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And Pierce just leans over, and he goes, They’re all rehearsals.
I’m like, You’re Pierce Brosnan.
That’s so true.
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And that’s good.
I think that’s something that youve got to remember.
It’s all fine.
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It’s all play.
It’s all curious.Every single take that you get, you’re figuring it out.
There was another thing that he said, too.
It was maybe take 12, 13, 14, and they said, Cut.
Going again, and he just took it off, and he went, Finding it.
Again, I was like, You’re Pierce Brosnan.
Image via A24
[Laughs] But it’s great.
I think leading with curiosity and always knowing that that’s the path is really it’s good.
It’s something that I learned, as well.
How do you like to engage with social media?
CENTINEO: I took a break for a while, but it’s a tool.
I’m paraphrasing, so forgive me for butchering his advice.
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You should watch any interview you’ve got the option to.
I think that’s what social media is really good for.
I didn’t want to post casually for a while.
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I archived my whole Instagram because I felt that I was really into it.
I was like, I need to post constantly.
If I lose the following, I’m not going to be a good actor.
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Whatever it was, you think all these things, or, I need to stay relevant.
And I just went, I think I need to forget about all that.
I did it for a while, and it was great.
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Now, I use it more so as a tool to promote.
You have a lot of followers on Instagram.
CENTINEO: A lot.
Owen Hendricks, a CIA lawyer becomes involved in massive international conflicts with dangerous parties after an asset tries to expose her relationship to the agency.
Im like, Is this stupid?
Who can I show this to thatll tell me if itisstupid?
[Laughs] I’m going to post it.
I think about it a lot.
You also think about being too earnest, right?
Posting something that is really true to you.
Or do I just want to be like, You look cute today.
That was me circa 2018.
There was a lot of that.
But yeah, a lot of thought goes into it, for sure.
You starred in some of these movies calledTo All the Boys.
I’m just curious how you would rank them?
CENTINEO:In order?
That’s an impossible question, and fuck you for asking it.
I love them all equally.
it’s possible for you to’t put them in order.
But the first one, probably.
You gotta respect the first one for starting it all off.
We had no idea what was going to happen, and then the first one happened.
You ended up playing your character again inXO, KittySeason 2?
How did that actually happen?
CENTINEO: I never cool off it, that’s for sure.
Would you do it?
I said, Absolutely.
How could I not?
Anna [Cathcart] is incredible.
She’s so talented.
That’s younger sis, right?
So you have to.
You gotta support, and I’m just so proud of her.
You really don’t want to mess with it, especially if you care about it.
So to go and to take it back out and put Peter on…it’s scary.
You want to do a service to it, and hopefully, it worked out.
You got to be inDream Scenarioand you got to work opposite Nicolas Cage.
CENTINEO: That was crazy.
Is that like a bucket list moment?
CENTINEO: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
It’s Nicolas Cage!
What is it actually for you when you’re going to work with someone that iconic the night before?
Are you in your head?
Are you sleeping a lot?
Are you overthinking things because it’s fucking Nic Cage?
Sorry for my language, but it is.
CENTINEO: It’s fucking Nic Cage.
You know whats really weird?
Yes, but it was more so about I understood Kristoffer Borgli, the filmmaker behindDream Scenario.
He also didSick of Myself.
I highly recommend it.
For anyone trying to make it in our industry, you should watch it.
It’s an incredible short film.
It’s just an expert short film.
So if you’re like, How do I start?
Make a short film and make one that’s like this or your own version of it.
I just want to be on set while you’re working.
I think you’re amazing.
I hit up this filmmaker and it’s his second feature, and it’s with Nic Cage.
And A24 is an incredible studio, and I had really been wanting to work with them.
“I couldn’t be in the room.
I ruined the takes by laughing.”
You’ve been acting for a long time since I think you were nine years old.
When did you feel like, I can pay my rent as a working actor?
CENTINEO: I was onThe Fosters.
I loveThe Fostersso much.
That show is so incredible.
That show actually saved me from moving back to Florida.
That was when I started to get a regular paycheck, and it was enough to pay my bills.
But it wasn’t really until I filmedTo All the Boysthat it changed.To All the Boyswas the moment.
I don’t know how many people here have seen the trailer yet forWarfare.
It comes out in April.
What can you tell people about it?
Because it’s pretty intense.
CENTINEO: We’re holding off because the film is an ensemble film.
But what I will say is that it takes place in Ramadi, Iraq, in 2006.
It’s a platoon of Navy Seals that go out on an overwatch mission.
The movie is in real-time, so you watch the events as they happen.
There are two directors.
They co-directed, they co-wrote it.
They do it together.
So, thats what I can say about it so far.
If you haven’t seen the footage, there’s a trailer, and it’s pretty intense.
The film hails from Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza.
I’m always fascinated by how actors get ready for roles.
So, hypothetically, you’re getting ready to shoot something on September 1st.
Take us through that, like, a month before filming begins.
What are you doing to get into the headspace?
How are you preparing?
CENTINEO: I never went to a film school.
I had this incredible teacher, Sara Banyan.
She taught me so much.
Mainly, what I learned from her was not a specific, real process.
I find that I take a stab at relate it all to a place of love.
Without that love present, you don’t really feel those darker emotions.
So, when I say attempt to find the love, that’s what I mean.
I make a run at find what was it that was taken away that they truly loved?
I think that’s kind of a root.
It’s a work in progress, dude.
I got no idea.
I kind of just learn the lines, show up, and then throw up.
CENTINEO: I attempt to have the process.
Could There Be a ‘The Recruit’ and ‘The Night Agent’ Crossover In Our Future?
I would love to.
For fans ofThe Recruit, we’re getting into that section.
Has Netflix asked you to save any dates in 2025?
CENTINEO: For Season 3?
I would like to.
We had a lot of fun making this season.
The Recruitis number three today in top TV shows, andThe Night Agentis number two.
CENTINEO: [Laughs] There’s no competitionGabriel Bassos ranked higher, that’s for sure.
He’s also such a dope dude.
The guy works his ass off.
I don’t really do all my own stunts in the same way that he does.
This guy’s abeast.
He wants the audience to feel the realism.
But there’s a healthy competition.
You play a CIA lawyer.
He plays a low-level FBI agent.
Have you guys talked about doing a season crossover or a movie?
CENTINEO: We have.
We’ve talked about trying to get the two shows together, but it’s really just in jest.
I mean, I would love to.
I think he would love to.
We’ll find something.
What’s a stunt that you wish you didn’t do?
CENTINEO: I haven’t done it yet.
I like doing the stunts.
They don’t let me do the stunts.
I’m like, Can I jump off the bridge?
They’re like, No, you’re going to get hurt.
You filmed in Korea for Season 2.
CENTINEO: I’d go to the Golden Pig.
It’s so good.
It’s pork barbecue.
So I would go there.
I’d go to the sauna.
I had a great time walking around.
The night markets were really cool.
There are a lot of different districts to explore that have a really active nightlife.
It’s a great city.
There’s so much to do.
What is the difference between making something in Korea versus Los Angeles without bringing in craft service?
CENTINEO: Thats a good difference.
There is a difference in craft service.
I mean, I don’t speak Korean, right?
I just speak English, so there’s a bit of a language barrier.
But most of the crew speaks really, really great English.
It’s only sometimes that maybe someone doesn’t.
You know what it is, man?
It’s like airports all around the world.
Any airport that you really go to, for the most part, has duty-free.
I think film sets are very similar to that.
Wherever you go, that film set, they all kind of execute the same way.
There’s a chain of command and it’s followed.
As far as Korea goes, it’s extremely efficient.
The crews are young and very hard working.
You are number one on the call sheet onThe Recruit.
What does that responsibility mean to you whenyouhave to set the tone?
CENTINEO: Thats a great question.
When we didBlack Adam, Dwayne [Johnson] was an exceptional leader.
You know who it was?
I think it was Mo onBlack AdamMohammed.
He was like home base, either with his trailer or his house.
We shotBlack Adamhere in Atlanta, and watching him just take us all under his wing.
That’s how strong of a connection we all had.
So, Mo Amer, without a doubt.
You gotta set the tone.
CENTINEO: If you’ve ever had a coworker that is just terrible, it’s terrible.
Nobody wants to go work with someone whos like that.
But its not just number ones.
It’s really not just number one’s job.
I do mean it.
Give them that space.
Theygetto take that space.
They don’thaveto be everyone’s best friend today.
That’s also part of the respect.
But yeah, it’s everyone’s job to treat everyone with respect, that’s for sure.
We’ve entered 2025.
What are your plans for this year as an actor, slash whatever else you’re working on?
CENTINEO: Hopefully make more movies.
You said you’re going to Korea.
What are you shooting?
CENTINEO: Im shooting a project calledListenwith Bound Entertainment and Westbrook.
Im really, really excited about it.
They’re great, Bound Entertainment.
Check out their films.
Samuel Ha runs the company there.
Then Westbrook, you guys know Westbrook.
They’re huge, as well.
You spent the day here on campus.
What was your takeaway from everything you saw and the students you spoke to?
CENTINEO: You guys are incredibly intelligent.
Honestly, give it up for y’all.
I got to sit and answer some questions.
You guys were so respectful and really, really dedicated.
The vibe runs through the room.
It’s so important.
The arts is so important.
Design is so important.
Everything that they teach here at SCAD is so important.
I didn’t go to college.
I never really studied.
Thats something that I would tell a younger version of myself, to study.
We literally stand on the shoulders of giants, right?
There’s a reason that’s a cliche.
There’s a reason we all know that expression.
I’m inspired being here.
I feel extremely motivated and I can’t wait to hopefully work with all of y’all down the line.
The RecruitSeason 2 is available to stream now on Netflix.
