Castañeda — a graduate of California State University, Fullerton — almost went into a completely different field than acting. In a recent interview with his alma mater, the Netflix star explained that he initially was going to go into the family business and be a civil engineer until he decided to pursue a career in the arts.
"I went into civil engineering, and I had this image of what I was going to do: be a civil engineer, work at my dad's construction company, take over, make money, have a family," he said. "While I was studying civil engineering, I was auditioning for short films or student films on the side. I realized at some point that I was on the wrong trajectory. I told my parents that acting and directing was something I wanted to do, so I went into RTVF [radio, TV and film]."
Castañeda began auditioning for roles while still in school, and began landing roles in 2009 on shows like Lie to Me, Southland, and, in 2014, ABC Family's Switched at Birth. He also appeared in films like 2018's Sicario: Day of the Soldado, which, as he told the CSUF News Center, was the role that made him feel like he'd made it. Needless to say, if he'd followed his original career path, he never would have been cast as Diego.
Thankfully for Castañeda, his choice to follow his dreams obviously paid off. Fans are already eager to find out where his character will end up in season three.
