Cruz Flateau, a local Riverview student, is aiming to make it big in the entertainment industry and has already made quite an impact. Cruz is a multitalented individual who has been involved in acting, voice acting, modeling and even singing at times. While he is now 11 years old, he has been accepting jobs since he was just 5 years old and has been pulling increasingly impressive jobs as he has grown up.
Cruz is currently one of the lead voice actors on the Disney show SuperKitties, where he voices Sparks, the brains of the SuperKitty team, which he booked around his birthday and said was his best memory of his career so far. Cruz looks at performing and acting as an avenue for his creativity and a very cool experience thus far.
“I get to sing a lot with voice-over, so it’s cool. I’ve always liked singing, but doing voice-over allows me to do both lead and background vocals, I enjoy that. The biggest inspiration is being able to do fun work and see it all come together on screen. Doing the work is where I get to be creative,” said Cruz.
Working at such a young age is not an easy road though, as his mother, Raven Flateau, is keenly aware of.
“As a parent, it’s very important for me to first give Cruz an understanding that this is a process and a journey. So, with that means you may audition for many projects, but you won’t book everything you go out for. Just enjoy every step. Have fun. Be creative. I check in often to make sure he’s still enjoying himself. He navigates ups and downs very well,” said Raven.
Having such maturity at a young age has allowed Cruz to do an excellent job every time he books a role and has even led to him taking on roles outside of the kids’ entertainment world. Most recently you can find him playing “Young Joe” on the show Average Joe, currently streaming on BET+.
Working as a child does not stop Cruz from enjoying his childhood though, as he is routinely involved with sports and hanging out with his friends when not working — back to “everyday Cruz,” as his mother said.
If you would like to follow Cruz on his journey and see more updates on his career as they unfold, check out his Instagram @cruzflateau.