David Castañeda has acted in a few films in supporting roles and had several guest spots on television series over the years, but he has finally found widespread success as a main character in the smash hit Netflix series The Umbrella Academy.
Castañeda’s Umbrella Academy character, Diego, has become a fan favorite, easily standing out among his onscreen siblings and he has been able to show his acting ability to a wider audience. Although his filmography isn’t that vast yet, hopefully with the ongoing success of this Netflix series, he can land more substantial roles in the future. Here are David Castañeda’s best roles so far, according to IMDb.
Freaks Of Nature (2015) – 5.9
![The Umbrella Academy’s David Castañeda’s 10 Best Roles, According To IMDb](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/freaks-of-nature-2015.jpg)
Freaks of Nature is a horror comedy film that sees a world full of humans, zombies, and vampires living together. Their seemingly nice existence is disturbed when aliens invade and begin an apocalypse in the town of Dillford.
The film stars Nicholas Braun, Mackenzie Davis, and Josh Fadem as a human, vampire, and zombie trying to save their world. There are also appearances by Joan Cusack, Keegan-Michael Key, and Patton Oswalt along with David Castañeda in various roles.
Standing Up, Falling Down (2019) – 6.4
![Billy Crystal and Ben Schwartz in Standing Up Falling Down](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Billy-Crystal-and-Ben-Schwartz-in-Standing-Up-Falling-Down.jpg)
Standing Up, Falling Down stars Ben Schwartz as a failing comedian who travels back home to live with his family. He meets and befriends Billy Crystal and the two try to support each other as Schwartz tries to get back into the comedy field and Crystal tries to reconnect with his family.
David Castañeda portrays his sister’s new boyfriend, and every character is in agreement that he is awesome.
Sicario: Day Of The Soldado (2018) – 7.1
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This sequel to the original film from director Denis Villeneuve follows Josh Brolin’s U.S. federal agent and Benicio del Toro’s rogue vigilante. The sequel is similar to the first film in that it is a slow burn and realistic action thriller that focuses on the U.S. Mexico border and the world of illegal drugs.
The sequel tries to humanize del Toro’s brutal character even more by introducing a young girl (portrayed by Isabela Moner) he protects from Mexican cartels and the U.S. government. Castañeda has a small role in the film as Hector.
Blindspot (2015-2020) – 7.4
![Jane from Blindspot looking angrily at someone.](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/blindspot-jane.jpg)
The recently concluded TV series Blindspot was a mystery thriller that followed an amnesiac woman who was found covered in tattoos that are discovered to be clues to crimes.
The show follows her and fellow law enforcement solving the crimes and getting ever closer to solving the mystery into who Jane Doe is. Castañeda appeared in one episode of the series.
End Of Watch (2012) – 7.6
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In this gritty film that shows a violent day in the life of LAPD officers, Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña are a pair of cops who record their daily lives as a film project.
The film chronicles several events in their work including finding human trafficking victims, interacting with gangs, and getting into firefights. David Castañeda has a very small role in the film.
Switched At Birth (2011-2017) – 7.7
![The full cast of Switched At Birth](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Switched-At-Birth-1.jpg)
ABC Family’s Switched At Birth followed two young women who realized that they were literally switched at birth at the hospital and didn’t in fact grow up with their biological families.
The two families collide and begin to live together and it begins an interesting dynamic as the two daughters struggle with their identities and the two families begin to bond with their biological sibling and child. David Castañeda has a reoccurring role, appearing in seven episodes, as Jorge, Daphne’s ex-boyfriend.
Jane The Virgin (2014-2019) – 7.8
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The sitcom Jane the Virgin followed Jane Villanueva and her fantastical life with her family, writing career, and her romantic life.
David Castañeda guest-starred in three episodes of the American telenovela series alongside Jaime Camil’s character Rogelio. Castañeda played Nicholas, Rogelio’s assistant, and although he only had a small role he had an impact on Rogelio’s life. He was an aspiring actor that did whatever it took to get his shot on the telenovela screen.
Lie To Me (2009-2011) – 8.0
![Tim Roth stands in a room full of mirrors in Lie to Me](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Tim-Roth-Lie-to-Me-Promo-Photo.jpg)
Fox network’s Lie to Me followed Dr. Cal Lightman (Tim Roth) on his job as a professional deception researcher. In this crime procedural, Dr. Lightman focused on studying facial expressions and body language to know when people were lying or telling the truth.
The series also followed Roth’s character and his employees as they worked with law enforcement and reading juries in courtrooms as part of their work. Castañeda has a small role in one of the episodes of this series.
The Umbrella Academy (2019- ) – 8.0
![Diego in an asylum looking disheveled in Umbrella Academy](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Diego-Umbrella-Academy-Asylum.jpg)
Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy follows a group of uniquely different characters who all have superpowers and were adopted by an eccentric businessman. The siblings have an unconventional upbringing and have to reconnect in their adult years to stop the apocalypse.
David Castañeda portrays one of the siblings, Diego Hargreeves, who is a vigilante and deadly with knives. The series is a loose adaptation of Gerard Way’s original comics of the same name, though fans of the books have praised it nonetheless.
Southland (2009-2013) – 8.4
![Southland Michael Cudlitz](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Southland-Michael-Cudlitz.jpg)
This American crime drama series followed the lives and work of Los Angeles police that took the time to develop its characters instead of being a typical police procedural.
None of the characters are perfect as the show took a more realistic approach to its characters and mostly focused on three main officers portrayed by Michael Cudlitz, Regina King, and Ben McKenzie. David Castañeda has a small role in two episodes.