In OLMO, Aivan Uttapa takes on the lead role of Olmo, a 14-year-old teenager navigating friendship, family responsibilities, and the complicated experience of growing up. While the film follows Olmo and his best friend Miguel on what initially seems like a simple mission to get a stereo to a party, it turns out to be something much more personal.
For Uttapa, the role hit particularly close to home. He was close to Olmo’s age during filming, which let him draw on his own experiences while finding the emotional truth in a character torn between wanting to be a kid and feeling responsible for his family.
“I was just like, ‘Oh yeah, this is just me. This is easy,” Uttapa recalls of his initial reaction to the script.
That connection ultimately helped him approach the role with a sense of authenticity. The character wants to hang out with his friends, have fun, and fit in, but he also has responsibilities at home that force him to grow up in ways his friends don’t necessarily have to.
Uttapa’s journey began with an audition in June of 2023, followed by a callback and in-person reads with director Fernando Eimbcke. After being offered the role, Uttapa discovered just how extensive the search for Olmo had been.
He remembers Eimbcke telling him that the production had searched for actors in Los Angeles, New York, and beyond, before ultimately deciding that Uttapa was the perfect fit.
The Movie Couple: For people who haven’t seen the movie yet, can you describe your character?
Aivan Uttapa: “My character is definitely complex a little bit. He’s a 14-year-old kid who just wants to, go out, have fun with friends, and do things and, you know, go get girls or whatever and whatnot, but there’s a balance to him, right? Where he has to choose his friends or his family, and he always chooses his family. So, you know, he always makes sure to keep those priorities straight. He’s just a regular kid, you know, he’s just a kid who just wants to have fun and grow up.”
The Movie Couple: Can you talk about when you auditioned for the project, your mindset going in, and the process?
Aivan Uttapa: I got the audition 2023 and pretty much they’re just like, ‘Yeah, you know, it’s the lead.’ So, I was like, ‘What’s it about?’ So, I read the breakdown and whatnot, and I was like, ‘Oh, yeah. This is just me. Like, this is easy.’
So, then I did the take for it. And then after that I did, you know, I just left it alone. I didn’t really think much of it. And I think maybe sometime in August I got a call back for that and, you know, one call back and after a meeting later with Fernando , he was like, ‘You know what, I want to offer you the part.’ So I was like, ‘Okay, cool.’ ‘So, yeah, here we are, and it’s been a crazy ride ever since.
The Movie Couple: How personal and attached did you feel to this character?
Aivan Uttapa: Oh very personal. It was, it was like this is personal. Like, the entire time of going with the whole attitude towards the movie was that this is personal.
Because, you know, as a 14-year-old kid, you just want to have fun, go with friends, do things, get chicks. So like it was pretty much me. But another personal side of it was just trying to get in the character and, trying to be relatable, trying to have people relate to Olmo as a character of, taking care of his father, being with his friend, you know what I mean? Choosing his friend or his family, you know what I mean? Like that’s one of the the dynamics I really wanted to capture for other people to relate on.
So, you know, I try to make it as truthful as possible and, you know, as authentic.
The Movie Couple: What did you and your co-stars do to build that chemistry?
Aivan Uttapa: When I first, like, you know, met Diego, you know, we were both like, socially awkward a little bit, you know what I mean? This is our first time on set. So I don’t really know what to expect, but I just kind of went with the attitude of just be myself, you know what I mean?
And like, you know, maybe let the rest carry on. But, he was a really cool kid, but I was just like, ‘Yeah, but I need something, something more. Something more to build the chemistry and the bond.’ So, me, Rosa, who plays my sister Ana, and Diego, we would all hang out like every weekend.
We went out to go to the movies, went out to go eat, and went thrifting together, So, it was it was really cool. And we’d all have fun, laugh or whatever, different jokes, and it was really there, you know, it was like the chemistry. It was like we just crossed a bridge of just like, you know, chemistry is great now.”
The Movie Couple: What was the most fun you had on set?
Aivan Uttapa: Definitely the driving scene like at night. That was that was the most fun for me. Because I’ve always wanted to like do a movie of just like kids being kids, you know what I mean? Just like driving or whatever. So when Fernando told me like you’re going to be driving, you’re listening to music, you’re going to be screaming out the window. I was like, ‘Oh yeah, this is going to be crazy, right?’
I posted actually a behind-the-scenes slideshow on Instagram during the shoot and there’s a video of like me and Diego listening to the music and we’re just driving. We’re just having a great time. That’s that’s what the movie really is. That’s the way to go. So yeah, it was really cool.
The Movie Couple: What was a more challenging day on set for you?
Aivan Uttapa: The mattress scene. That was really challenging because I remember Fernando was like, ‘Aivan, you’re going to remove the sheet, the pillows, the bed, take out the mattress, hold it up, and then just carry it in the hallway.’ And I was like, ‘Okay, easy enough.’ Right?
So then we just kept doing take after take after take. He’s like, ‘No, I want more emotion.’ So then the take they ended up going with was actually like it was honestly improv.
It was like when the mattress hits the dresser, and everything falls off. Like I did not even plan for that. As soon as it happened, I was like, ‘What do I do?’ And then we just kept going with it, and that was the take they ended up using. So, it was very challenging, but like I said, never tiring.
The Movie Couple: What do you want to tackle next in your career?
Aivan Uttapa: I want to tackle as much as I can do. And like there’s obviously there’s a lot of, you know, things I want to, you know, accomplish. But, you know, just like acting has definitely, you know, always been number one. You know what I mean? Being an entertainer, being able to use art through expression and acting for, you know, to have people relate to you, you know, is like one of the greatest things.
Same thing with like music, you know, singing, you know, it’s it’s all expression, you know, skateboarding, filmmaking, you know, like it’s all that is me. Like I just want to do something, just that form of expression, you know what I mean?
So, yeah, that’s what I want to tackle. I want to tackle, you know, big roles. I want to tackle, you know, roles that can definitely take me out of my comfort zone, be vulnerable, and all that kind of stuff. So, whatever comes, I’m always going to have it with open arms.
The Movie Couple: For everybody who hasn’t seen OLMO yet, how would you describe the movie?
Aivan Uttapa: If I could describe in three words, I would say OLMO was definitely, you know, it’s human, it’s universal, and it is very tender. It’s very tender.
