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Q&A: Getting to “Breathing Happy” Star Owen Atlas

While you may not know him now, Owen Atlas is a name you’ll want to remember as his standout talents make him a one-to-watch in Young Hollywood.

Born in Las Vegas, the child star actor got discovered by former blue power ranger Mike Chat and broke into the industry at just seven-years-old.

Even though Owen has already been in a few television and film projects, like Disney’s BUNK’D and Netflix’s Little Evil with Evangeline Lilly, Sally Field, and Adam Scott, the actor can now add another to the list, his latest film, Breathing Happy with The Walking Dead‘s Katelyn Nacon.

Breathing Happy is a drama following drug addict, Dylan, as he approaches his one-year sober anniversary on Christmas Eve and battles demons that tempt him to relapse. The mind-bending project has already won an award, snagging Best Feature For A First Time Filmmaker at Popcorn Frights in Miami, Florida.

During our sit down with Owen, the actor brought us some behind-the-scenes details about his former projects, sharing how his castmates are in person like Sally Field, telling us, “she’s nice and gave me lots of good advice.”

When Owen isn’t on set, he’s busy investing in charities like the Wounded Warrior Project, Puppy Up, or riding horses. Atlas also received his black belt at the age of nine and shares how he got into martial arts, having started at two-years-old.

Keep scrolling to read our full Q&A below, and let us know your favorite Owen Atlas project by leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.

You can connect with Owen by giving him a follow on Instagram at @owen.atlas.

Celeb Secrets: Outside of acting, you also have a passion for animals! What is your time like with your Icelandic horse, Toft?

Owen Atlas: “I love animals! I have three Great Pyrenees dogs, a snake, a turtle and of course Toft my Iceland horse. When I’m with Toft I am so happy.  Sometimes hours can pass by and I don’t even notice.  I love to wash and brush him, feed him snacks like apples and special candy for horses, and of course ride him.  We do this thing where I run and jump on him and he rides away like in the old western movies.”

CS: Due to starting out in the business at the age of 7, what has growing up in the industry been like for you?

OA: “I’ve enjoyed growing up in the entertainment industry and learned a lot. I’ve made so many friends and worked with so many great people. I also think it’s really fun to see myself on film and television throughout the years. It’s like having a living photo album.”

Photo Credit: Owen Atlas Instagram @owen.atlas

CB: Mike Chat played an iconic character in one of the most classic kid-shows ever, what is your relationship like with him today?

OA: “That’s true, Master Chat was the blue Power Ranger. I’ve always been in awe of that plus he’s a world champion martial artist and the creator and founder of Xtreme Martial  Arts- XMA.  He’s my mentor. I call him to keep in touch, and also to ask advice on any important decisions in my career. He’s just been amazing and he’s a family friend now. I’ve known him as long as I can remember now.”
CS: If you had the opportunity to be a power ranger, what color and super power would you be/have?
OA: “Of course I think the blue Power Ranger is awesome but I might like to be something new like platinum? And I think a fun power to have would be The power of time travel and I’d like to be really strong as well but time travel could be used in many ways.”
CS: How did you get your start in martial arts?
OA: “My mom studied martial arts, Shotokan Karate, so she thought it would be a good idea for me to study martial arts as well. I started when I was two years old as a tiny tiger at my preschool.”
CS: How does it feel to be an award winning martial artist/receiving your black belt?
OA: “It feels really good to have won awards, and to be a black belt I studied and worked really hard.  I also enjoy martial arts a lot. It helps me be disciplined and stay in shape mentally and physically as well.”
CS: What was your experience like working alongside Sally Field and Adam Scott for “Little Evil?”
OA: “Sally Field was really nice and gave me lots of good advice. Adam Scott was really cool and he is really funny. He had the crew laughing a lot.  I was really young and he was really kind to me. He was a dad so I feel like he knew how to treat kids. I really hope I can work with him again.”
CS: If you had to give advice to a child-actor starting out, what piece of advice would you give them?
OA: “I think the biggest piece of advice I would give them would be to have fun while acting. Only do it if it brings you joy. The next thing I would say is study your craft. The more you know the better you will become.”
Owen Atlas as Lucas in Little Evil (Netflix)
CS: What is your favorite part about contributing to charities like The Wounded Warrior Project and Puppy Up?
OA: “My favorite part about working with these charities and some of the other ones that we work with, like at my school we work at feeding hungry families, is the feeling that I’m helping people. It makes me feel good.  I’m Jewish and we call it Tikkun Olam which means to repair the world.  I feel like it is up to all of us to repair the world.”
CS: Your latest project “Breathing Happy” is out now. Can you tell us more about what we can expect from the film and your character?
OA: “The film is a mind bending drama and adventure about families, relationships, and drug and alcohol recovery.  I played the main character, Dylan, as a youth. A great dramatic role for me and I really had to pull from inside to make this role come alive.”
Photo Credit: Owen Atlas as Young Dylan @breathinghappyfilm Instagram
CS: Do you have any fun memories from filming? If so, can you share?
OA: “One funny thing was that we were filming during Covid so all of the snacks had to be packaged. There were lots of chips and that sort of thing and I would have fun making TikToks asking the audience to pick what kind of snack I should eat. I also did this by going live on Instagram and polling  the audience on my snack choice so that was pretty fun.”
CS: Which role would you say was more challenging — “Breathing Happy” or “Little Evil?”
OA: “Wow, that is a really good question. ‘Breathing Happy’ challenged me from the inside as it was a very dramatic role.  But ‘Little Evil’ challenged me a lot from the outside because I did a lot or most of my own stunts.  For example I had to pull a coffin in a graveyard on a chain, I had to pull a stunt man down a staircase with a wire, I had to stand outside in a real graveyard in the rain, and all of the water park footage was real. Adam Scott and I really rode on the paddle boats, and the big slide.”
CS: What are your goals for this year?
OA: “My goals for this year are of course to get straight A’s in school. To improve on my guitar, I play every day and really love it. My dream would be to work with Johnny Depp one day, I don’t know if it will be this year but I do know it will be someday.”
CS: Since we’re Celeb Secrets, do you have any secrets (fun facts) about yourself that you can share with our readers?
OA: “Can you keep a secret? So I did a short film this summer that will be out and submitted to film festivals hopefully by the end of the year, and in that film, I have my first on-screen kiss. Shhhhh.”

Author

  • Ava Hill

    Hi, my name is Ava Hill! I'm a former musical theatre performer turned television actress, host, and writer from Charleston, South Carolina! After performing in numerous cities around the country doing musical theatre, I transitioned to Los Angeles in 2016 from NYC. Here's to all things pop culture! IG: @TheAvaHill

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Hi, my name is Ava Hill! I'm a former musical theatre performer turned television actress, host, and writer from Charleston, South Carolina! After performing in numerous cities around the country doing musical theatre, I transitioned to Los Angeles…

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