Mace Coronel has been building out his resume since the age of seven years old, from indie film shorts to bagging himself a role on Nickelodeon’s Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn at nine years old. He later starred as the lead in the 2019 coming-of-age short film Pocket, followed by the Netflix series Colin in Black and White. He’s racking up screen time in one project after another, and next up he’s heading back in time to the 1990s for new Netflix series That '90s Show!

I wanted to ask first about your obvious passion for photography, how did that all start, as you’ve put together a photo series called ALSAMO comprising of shots taken when you were in your early teens. Have you always carried a camera with you to document life around you?

Around the age of 12, I was gifted my first 35mm film camera from a good friend and legendary cinematographer/photographer John Simmons, ASC. He inspired me to start taking photos of what caught my eye and introduced me to the art of street photography.

What inspires you most to pick up a camera and shoot?

A gut feeling, the unknown.

Maybe a cinematographer is next on your to-do list?

If you are asking what filmmakers I want to work with, it would be a Gaspar Noé, Safdie Brothers, Daniels, or a David Lynch project. But if you are asking if BEING a cinematographer is on my to-do list, when I was 16, I made a short film (Gibson), that I shot, wrote, and edited myself. When I was 14, my talented friends Mishka Kornai and Zack Wechter, also cast me as the lead in their coming-of-age movie Pocket, where I was not only the actor but by way of the story, was also the cameraman.

You write poetry too, and I love the fact you do it on an old-fashioned typewriter. You come across like an old soul Mace! What drives those passions?

What drives me to make art and try out different avenues of self-expression is just a gut feeling.

Speaking of gut feelings, you started your acting career at just 7 years old. What made you want to chase your dreams at such a young age – were there films you saw as a kid that made you want to do this?

I loved improvisation and intuitively creating and expressing myself as a kid. I was inspired by life and the different ways to express myself.

Is there something you haven’t done yet as an actor that you really want to do?

The best is yet to come, I really enjoy film, and trust I will work with more independent experimental filmmakers with raw movie ideas in the future.

Your true love is really an Indie film. What kind of stuff do you find yourself looking for? Is it escapist stuff, or movies where you’re feeling feelings

I am drawn to authentic-surreal storytelling and would love to portray a complex or eccentric character.

“I loved improvisation and intuitively creating and expressing myself as a kid. I was inspired by life and the different ways to express myself.”

Aside from the short film Gibson you created, are there any other stories you’re really keen to take to the big screen, or other creative outlets you would like to try?

My journey as an artist has only just begun, I have dreams that exceed a big screen.

What about combining acting with your love of music too? Would you ever make playlists to help you get into character for a role?

I really keep an open ear and have an appreciation for all types of music. However, I will always appreciate the genius of pianists and thinkers such as Ahmad Jamal, Thelonious, and Bill Evans. What helps me get into character for a role is purely just studying or creating the psychology of a character's mind and personal truth, not really music. For me, acting is being. Although, if the characters' taste in music was a huge determining factor in personality, I would definitely use music to get into the role.

Let’s discuss your latest project, That ‘90s show. What can you share about the new Netflix series and your role in it?

My character's name is Jay, he’s a film buff, aspiring screenplay writer, and martial artist.

Nostalgia for '90s classic show revivals are at an all-time high, and this one is set in 1995. Did you have to familiarise yourself with the nostalgic novelties and clothing, music of the era for the show?

I didn’t have to familiarise myself with that era, I have friends and family who lived in the 90s and I grew up appreciating all types of art and forms of expression from different eras before my time.

One thing about the 90s though…. there was no Instagram, shock! With so much emphasis now on actors being on social media – what do you keep to yourself, what don’t we know about you that you don’t mind telling us here, as someone that’s grown up in the public eye?

I didn’t grow up in the public eye, my profession was viewed publicly, and to be frank, no one knows me and most likely never will, because getting to know oneself is a lifelong journey. I do not put an emphasis on social media. People only share what they want you to see. As far as anything I feel inspired to say or share with the world will be said.

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Discover the full story in our upcoming SS23 WILDSIDE Issue - End March release.

Interview by Kate Lawson

Photography by Emilia Staugaard

Fashion by Jake Sammis

Grooming by Zaheer Sukhandan

Casting by Imaginemachine cs

Stylist’s assistant Ariel Leon Couer