Actor Jason Genao, best known for his breakout role in On My Block, is reflecting on the show’s lasting impact as he steps into a new phase of his career.
Years after the series premiered, the Netflix hit continues to resonate with audiences, with clips frequently resurfacing across social media. It celebrated its eighth anniversary, just as Genao is involved with a new partnership revolving around My Call.
Why ‘On My Block’ still resonates
Looking back, Genao said the experience was something he and his castmates had to grow into in real time.
“I think honestly, we were so young and it was so fresh into my career. It was just something that we had to adjust to,” he told Blavity’s Shadow and Act in a recent interview. “I don’t think, especially people like us, like me and Brett [Gray] and Sierra [Capri] and all of us, we’re just kids from the city.”
He added, “I don’t think any of us grew up with this preparation of wanting to be something specific, as opposed to just trying and whatever happens, happens. I think some people really seek this kind of lifestyle or certain things in this world, as opposed to we were just trying to act and be active.”
“So it fell upon a couple of people who weren’t even really looking for it,” he continued. “Luckily, everyone was so kind. I’ve never really met anyone that made it difficult. You just accept what comes and thank the universe for the opportunity.”
That continued relevance is something Genao sees reflected online.
“Speaking of that, I have to press not interested so often so that I don’t keep seeing my face. It’s so weird,” he said.
“But I think it’s a testament,” he continued. “The other day I was watching I Love Lucy, which is from the ’60s, and it’s a testament to two things: the writing and the acting. The writers did such an amazing job, and then the acting that these brilliant people did.”
“Brett’s so funny. His comedic timing is insane. Jessica [Marie Garcia], all these people,” he added. “So if you have that balance of good writing and good acting, it’s going to live forever.”
“It also was telling a story at the time that wasn’t being told,” he said. “Even today, it isn’t really a common story. Maybe we’ve seen it done a couple more times, but back then, it was taking a regular, slightly out-of-the-box sitcom and putting it on us, these inner-city kids. That wasn’t really done.”
“There’s such a formula that makes things great, like Modern Family,” he continued. “We were like that, but from a different perspective, which I think that part of the world hadn’t seen themselves in. We exist, but we’re generally invisible to a lot of people.”
“People like that exist everywhere, and they’re invisible, and there’s this one show where they get to see themselves,” he added. “So if they have to replay it or tell their kids 10 or 15 years from now, like, ‘Hey, there’s this show,’ that’s what they’re going to do. And I think that’s why the legacy’s going to live on.”
How his career is evolving
As his career continues, Genao said he’s been intentional about exploring different genres while thinking about how each role impacts him.
“I’ve been so blessed to touch on everything. My first job was a musical, and then I’ve done drama and comedy, and I haven’t really been pigeonholed,” he said. “But I do think there’s something — I want to fall into the horror world.”
“I just think we’re lacking more male leads in horror,” he added. “It’s something like people like Justin Long, who was crowned the Scream King of the ’90s when he did Jeepers Creepers. I feel like we’re kind of missing that right now, and I’d love to tap into that space.”
“Acting is this emotional thing,” he continued. “I’ve learned going home after a long day of comedy is so different than going home from a long day of drama.”
“I want to tap into comedy a little more,” he said. “You go home really light and lighthearted, as opposed to crying for six hours on something and taking that home with you.”
What My Call represents
Genao is also part of Rémy Martin’s new global campaign, My Call, which centers on defining success through intention and personal direction rather than traditional markers.
For him, the partnership connects back to his upbringing.
“There’s such an irony to it that Rémy is this drink that I grew up with, seeing all my uncles and my dad, and especially my godfather,” he said. “This was the drink that signified that the men around me were being men, I guess.”
“I grew up with my whole family drinking Rémy,” he continued. “So when this opportunity came around, it felt ironic that this alcohol, which is what I grew up on, came back around in this way. It’s something that really lives within my family.”
He added that the campaign aligns with how he views his own path in the industry.
“I think that especially being an actor, being in a world where there is no definitive answer of what being something is, the opportunity to express that through My Call is amazing,” he said. “It goes hand in hand with being in an industry where you have to create your own terms and define success for yourself.”