About time
As Stan’s popular family drama Bump jumps forward five years for season three, Carlos Sanson Jr, who plays young dad Santi, chats to Siobhan Duck about family, cultural representation and what the show means to him
MOVE over Hemsworth brothers because there’s a new trio of swoon-worthy siblings making their assault on the small screen.
The set of Bump became something of a family affair this year when Carlos Sanson Jr’s real-life brother Alexander, 18, joined the cast.
Bump’s third season picks up five years after we last saw teen parents Oly (Nathalie Morris) and Santi (Sanson) as their daughter Jacinda heads off to school.
“So, obviously we have jumped forward five years for season three and I had two little half-brothers in seasons one and two, so we had to age those little boys up,” he explains.
“So, when I heard about that, I was like: ‘My youngest brother Alex, he could do it [play the role of his brother] because he is my brother and he’s the perfect age!’.”
Sanson’s other brother, 22-year-old Marcelo – who he affectionately calls Moosh – and sister Bella also popped up as extras in the background of a party scene.
While Bella has no interest in acting and is studying to become a nurse, Marcelo has already starred in a short film. Bump was Alexander’s first acting job, and it has ignited in him a passion to follow in his older siblings’ footsteps too.
“Marcelo, he did an incredible job – he carried the film,” Sanson boasts proudly.
“He’s looking to do a short course at NIDA (the National Institute of Dramatic Arts) when he finishes his economics degree. Now Alex is full-blown into it [acting]. He’s doing auditions now that he’s just wrapped on Bump.
“So, he’s super excited for that to come out. But he’s auditioning for NIDA and for
WAAPA (The West Australian Academy of Performing Arts), so now he’s full-blown wanting to do this now too.
“So, we do have a trio.” Sanson says the three are putting wheels in motion to make a film together.
“We’re working on a script,” he enthuses.
“We have we’ve decided we have to get us three together on-screen. And if no one else is going to cast us, we’re going to do it ourselves!”
Sanson says kick-starting Alexander’s career has made his experiences on Bump all the sweeter.
The Stan series has been a game-changer for Sanson who, before Bump, had been making his career in America.
“I had just turned 21 [when I moved to Los Angeles] and it was a scary jump to make,” he reflects.
“The decision was made on the advice of my management, who felt there would be a lot more opportunities over there for Latino actors, which was true.”
Within eight days of landing in LA, Sanson landed a Netflix movie. Soon after that, he won a part on a TV series. Then COVID hit.
“I remember Trump made the presidential address to the nation that the NBA was shutting down for the season and I was like, if the NBA is shutting down, then the acting industry is going to follow,” he explains.
“I thought I’d come back home for a month and by then COVID would be a thing of the past and that I would get back on the train of momentum I was on over there.
“But then we had this whole worldwide shut down
and we didn’t know how long that was going to last. It was during that lockdown that the brief came through for Bump – they were looking for a 17-year-old Australian Chilean actor.
“And I knew that had my name written all over it.”
It certainly felt like fate. Growing up, Sanson – whose family hails from Chile – didn’t see a lot of South American culture or people represented on Australian television. And then later, as a young actor, he struggled to find suitable roles on Australian-made shows.
“Bump was the first time that the South American family were an integral part of the story,” he says.
“And they were the main characters! I remember like sort of double taking when the audition came in, asking my agents: ‘Are you sure this is an Australian project?’
“As far as the minorities go, South Americans in Australia are probably one of the smaller-represented cultures on screen.
“At least I feel that way. And I think there’s always room for more for all cultures.”
The success of Bump has certainly opened doors for Sanson in Australia. He also feels like it has spearheaded broader cultural changes as well.
“What was really beautiful about Bump was that it was the start of a real push for Latino representation on our screens,” he says.
“I remember finishing season one and feeling so proud that the Hernandez family was at the helm of that show and that it’s a family that Australians will remember.
“It’s the first iconic South American family on-screen so it’s really an honour and kind of overwhelming to think about that.”
It wasn’t just Sanson who got his big break on Bump. His co-star Claudia de Giusti, who plays his devoted grandmother Bernardita, also scored the role of her lifetime on the series.
Sanson laughs that the cast referred to de Giusti as “the scene stealer”.
Discovered via Facebook ad, de Giusti hadn’t acted since she was a young girl in Argentina but now finds herself on the cusp of hitting the big time.
“My agent has just signed her,” he smiles.
“They think she’s going to be a big star.
“You know how Samuel L. Jackson didn’t make it until he was 50, well Claudia de Giusti is going to take the prize [and find fame] at 80!”
Sanson says his extended family in Chile have been particularly excited to watch Bump.
“To see their culture represented on Australian television was mind blowing for them and for my grandma and grandpa who are in their 80s,” he says.
“Its revolutionary for them. “And for me too. I was born in Australia, so I also identify as Australian, so to know that my country is holding space for my family’s culture creates this warmth in my heart that I can’t quite articulate.
“It feels very promising for the future as well.”
Bump, season three streaming from Boxing Day, Stan