The industry has taken notice of this multifaceted up-and-comer who has experience in film, television, theater, and voiceover. Kayden Koshelev can currently be seen in the hit two-part Netflix saga, Rebel Moon Part One: A Child of Fire and Rebel Moon Part Two: The Scargiver directed and created by Zack Snyder. The sci-fi epic series is set in a distant galaxy and follows Kora, a former warrior who gathers a group of rebels to defend her colony on the moon Veldt from the tyrannical forces of the Imperium, led by the ruthless Admiral Noble. Across two parts, it explores themes of rebellion, sacrifice, and the fight for freedom against oppressive regimes. Kayden plays Finn, a child who is seen running around his village with friends. He watches as the warriors train and seems to develop a special relationship with Kora. The Rebel Moon saga is streaming now and you can watch the trailer for The Scargiver here.
Kayden also lends his voice to the Disney Jr. series Firebuds as Cory, the network’s first non-binary character. The series follows a boy named Bo and his fire engine best friend Flash as they team up with their first responder friends, who are all eager to follow in the footsteps of their parents, to help others in their community with problems big and small. Season 2 is airing throughout the summer on Disney Jr. and Disney Channel with some episodes available on Disney+.
No stranger to the stage, Kayden recently shined as Brendan in Drag: The Musical alongside stars such as Joey McIntyre and RuPaul’s Drag Race talents Alaska and Jackie Cox. The musical was honored as ‘Best New Play Or Musical’ at the 2022 BroadwayWorld Los Angeles Awards. And you can read the article here.
Kayden, you have the same name as my nephew, I love it. So, tell us how you got into acting and what inspired you to take this path?
That’s funny! I have been meeting more Kayden’s these days. I got into acting at the age of 3 or 4. I was always performing, acting out scenes, dancing, and creating my own stories. I took it slow and started with musical theatre and modeling but quickly realized I wanted to do on-camera acting as well as musical theatre. I guess I just always knew it’s what I was meant to do.
You got to appear in “Rebel Moon” which has such a unique and expansive universe. What was it like to be part of Zack Snyder’s vision and bring the character of Finn to life?
It was surreal. I play a very small part but just getting to go to set every day and see what Zack had in store that day was an adventure. He was so hands on and creative. Always just doing so many different things on set. He was so nice and so was the whole cast! Bringing Finn to life was fun and we had to learn a very specific dialect for our village which was also cool. We met with a dialect coach, and she was always around to help us when we had lines or had to adlib anything.
Your role as Cory in “Firebuds” is groundbreaking as Disney Jr.’s first non-binary character. How important was this role to you, and what has the response been like from viewers?
I have always said that it is an honor to represent that community and anyone who identifies with Cory. I hope it puts more positive representation and conversation out in the world!
You’ve worked across various mediums, including film, television, theater, and voiceover. Do you have a favorite, or do you enjoy them all equally?
I get asked this all the time and I really don’t have a favorite. I have always been an actor who loves to act and wants to be known as someone who can do it all! So that’s what I do!
In “Drag: The Musical,” you starred alongside some big names from Broadway and RuPaul’s Drag Race. How was that experience, and what did you take away from it?
To say it was amazing would be an understatement! It was another project that I will never forget and that shaped me into a more confident and stronger actor, dancer and singer. Spencer Liff was incredible to work with and I hope I get to work with him and everyone else from that cast again one day. They are some of the best people out there!
Your vocal performance in “Me Time” with Kevin Hart was remarkable. How do you prepare for such musical roles, and what was it like working on that scene?
It was so special for me because I LOVE that song and sing the Pentatonix version of it all the time, year-round. So, to get to sing it in a film was a huge win for me. It combined my 2 favorite things: singing and on-camera acting. To prepare for it, they sent me instrumentals and I had to work with the musical directors and composers to make sure I learned it and sang it the exact way they wanted me to. Then I went into the recording studio and recorded multiple versions of it. After that was the on-camera fun! That’s when I got to work on the set with the other actors and Kevin Hart. He was so funny and nice! I sang full out, along to the track when filming because I wanted it to look as real as possible. It was a fun week on set!
Having worked with notable directors like Zack Snyder and Joel Coen, what have you learned from these experiences, and how have they influenced your approach to acting?
If you are paying attention, you can learn so much every single day you are acting, whether you are on set with a lot of other actors or on the stage singing a solo or even in the voiceover studio. You are never done learning in this industry. When you work with incredible actors and directors, it is hard not to be inspired and influenced to keep doing what you love and working hard.
What upcoming projects or roles are you most excited about, and what can your fans look forward to seeing you in next?
It’s been a slow year since the strikes but there are a lot more Firebuds episodes coming out so definitely stream those as they come out! Zack Snyder is releasing directors’ cuts of Rebel Moon this August, another thing to catch! Other than that, some small things I can’t talk about yet and hopefully a lot more by next year as things in our industry start to pick back up!
Email:neill@outloudculture.com
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