Lending his voice
BRIDGEPORT TEEN KEVIN CHACON VOICES THE LEAD ROLE IN NICKELODEON’S NEW ‘SANTIAGO OF THE SEAS’
When “Santiago of the Seas” debuts on Nickelodeon this month, kids will meet a brave and kindhearted pirate — an adventurer who lives in a fantastical Caribbean world. That animated character is voiced by Bridgeport teen Kevin Chacon, who landed the role in 2018. “I usually record my parts in New York, but since the pandemic I’ve been recording from a studio that was built in my room,” Chacon says.
Santiago Montes — also known as “Santi” — is an 8-year-old pirate in this new show for preschoolers. Nickelodeon says he “searches for hidden
treasure, always stands by his best mates and keeps the high seas safe from villains,” as he protects his homeland.
“The series is already done,” says Chacon, 13. “What I’m recording now are little tweaks or fixes to the lines I recorded before.”
“Santiago of the Seas” is more than just another cartoon for children. The 20-episode series features Latino-Caribbean culture by highlighting such things as its music, language, cuisine, dances, architecture, customs and folklore.
Also, it seamlessly infuses English and Spanish, giving viewers a head start on learning the Spanish language. Each episode features a word or phrase that viewers are asked to repeat. And whenever characters speak Spanish, it’s done in a way that provides context to clarify the meaning, so viewers are easily able to understand and follow along.
Chacon, of Costa Rican heritage, was born in New Jersey. He discovered a passion for the arts when he was 9, while taking acting classes at Rybin Studio of Drama in New York City. Since then, he’s appeared in a variety of theater and television projects. He shared more in an email.
“My mom, dad, sister and brother have been the main ones in my life from my family,” he said. “I got into acting from watching my manager Susan on TV in an interview, but I’ve always wanted to be an actor.”
“Santiago of the Seas” premieres Friday, Oct. 9, at 12:30 p.m. Although Chacon is not captain of a pirate ship, he and Santi share some traits. “Things I would say I have in common with Santiago would be that we are both hard working, we have perseverance and we like to help people out.”
Both are also adventurous. Aside from hanging out with his friends, Chacon says he likes to “do flips and skateboard.” In addition, he enjoys basketball, swimming, dancing and singing.
When asked about the challenging aspects of his voice work, the teen said, “To be honest, nothing is too hard about VO. There are some challenges like if something goes wrong with the audio you recorded, but a professional team always makes sure you have a backup so you’re good.”
Chacon is a recipient of the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA) and Association of Critics of Entertainment (ACE) Awards for Emerging Artist of the Year. “What I hope viewers get from this show would be to be able to talk a little Spanish or vice versa with English,” he says.
Some projects in which Chacon
“THINGS I WOULD SAY I HAVE IN COMMON WITH SANTIAGO WOULD BE THAT WE ARE BOTH HARD WORKING, WE HAVE PERSEVERANCE AND WE LIKE TO HELP PEOPLE OUT.”
has already appeared include Marvel’s “Jessica Jones,” on Netflix; he played the cool kid, Vido Arocho. He also had the lead role in a renowned bilingual stage adaption of “The Little Prince,” and was in Nickelodeon promos for “Double Dare,” Hispanic Heritage Month and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”
Chacon said his hope for the future is “to be cast in an oncamera Nickelodeon show etc., but I’ll see where life takes me. What’s meant for me, is what’s meant for me.”