Sam Zelaya Makes Trans History with Netflix’s ‘Wendell & Wild’

If you’re still in the Halloween mood and looking for a sweet treat to stream, allow us to suggest Netflix’s new animated comedy Wendell & Wild.

Coming from the minds of Henry Selick and Jordan Peele, the film follows an angsty teenage orphan named Kat (Lyric Ross), whose life has been shaped by tragedy. She also happens to have psychic gifts and the ability to summon demons from the underworld. After accidentally becoming the Hell Maiden to two scheming demon brothers, Wendell (Keegan-Michael Key) and Wild (Peele), chaos naturally ensues.

Fortunately for Kat, loyally sticking by her side is Raúl Cocolotl, an artistic, Latino, trans boy, voiced by newcomer Sam Zelaya. His kindness and bravery make him exactly the kind of friend she needs.

Apart from Raúl being a sweet and heroic supporting character, he also marks the first trans character featured in a stop-motion animated film. Zelaya found the precedent moving, and he saw this role as the culmination of many dreams coming true.

OFM caught up with the young actor to talk more about the film and the importance of LGBTQ representation for queer and trans youth.

Can you begin by telling us what makes Wendell & Wild worth checking out?

It’s a great film, and it’s an amazing collaboration between Jordan Peele and Henry Selick. I’m very proud of it. They have both made such incredible films before, and they came together in this beautiful way to make Wendell & Wild. I think it has a little bit of something for everyone.

You play Raul, a 13-year-old trans boy. What did you enjoy the most about lending your voice to this character, and how meaningful was it to you?

Yeah, it meant a lot to me to help bring his journey to the screen. Hopefully, it means a lot to adults who didn’t grow up with this kind of trans representation. Trans kids are getting to see themselves on the screen, which is very cool.

If you saw more characters like Raul while growing up, what kind of impact would that have made on you?

I think it would have saved me a lot of years of confusion and knowing that something wasn’t right, but not knowing exactly what that was.

I totally get that, and I love that Raul’s trans identity is mentioned enough so that it’s clear, but it’s not a focal point. How refreshing was that?

That was really cool. It’s kind of a hard balance to find between making sure this is something that’s clear and given enough airtime, but it’s not just mentioned and then thrown away. It’s an important part of the character, but that’s not everything about him. It’s just a fact.

You went on record saying that kids’ movies are the perfect place for trans characters. Can you talk more about that?

There’s a certain kind of attitude that you see a lot towards trans people, especially in the U.K., where we’re seen as something that kids have to be protected from, which not only does us a disservice, but it does kids a disservice. I think kids understand a lot more than people give them credit for. When I was at the screening for NewFest, there were kids in the audience, and they didn’t have any questions about that side of things. It was just, he was called something else before, and now he’s Raul. Kids will just roll with that.

Ultimately, what do you hope audiences take away from Wendell & Wild?

I hope that they have a good time. It’s such a fun movie. The visuals are amazing, and the soundtrack is killer, and I also hope that it maybe makes people think about certain issues in a way that they might not have done before. This is a great movie for raising those kinds of questions, and it’s something Jordan does very well in his other movies.

Is it true that this is your first major film project?

Yes! I sort of came straight out of university, and I think, like a lot of people, I was thinking, what’s next? Am I going to get into drama school? Am I going to do this? Am I going to do that? What are the next few years of my life going to look like? I honestly came across this casting call completely by accident, and it’s amazing because I thought it was going to be one of those things where you go for it because you’d be stupid not to go for it, but you don’t want to get too excited. Then I heard back from the team, and they liked my tape. They wanted me to do another one, and I was like, whoa, is this happening?

Have you always had a passion for entertainment?

Yes, I’ve always loved film, music, acting, and art. I always knew that I wanted to do something creative because if I didn’t, I would just lose my mind.

Circling back to NewFest for a second, you celebrated some of Netflix’s top voices in film and television by hosting a panel with top transgender and nonbinary actors working in Netflix animation. What was that like for you?

It was incredible going there and knowing that people were interested in what I had to say. I was up there with people whose work I’ve watched while sitting at home. I always thought they were so cool, and I wondered if I would ever get to work on anything like that.

How are you going to continue to use your voice and platform to advocate for LGBTQ inclusivity?

I just hope that people will keep giving me work (laughs). That way, I can stay out there and stay visible for people like me. They can kind of see me and go, oh, maybe I can do that too. I also want to work on developing my writing. I want to be able to make projects and give other people those opportunities that they might not have.

What are some other future goals you hope to accomplish with your career?

There’s so much I want to do. I’d love to record some of my music and get a little EP together, and I’d love to do more theater. Then like I said, I want to get back to my writing. So, I want to do a lot, but it’s just a case of what to do first.

Stay up-to-date and connect with Zelaya by following him on Instagram @samzelaya97. Wendell & Wild is streaming on Netflix.

Photos courtesy of Netflix