Arlen Escarpeta is All Heart: On Passion, Perseverance, and the Power of Playing Zeke

When Arlen Escarpeta talks about acting, it’s not just a career — it’s communion.

“I love what I do. I really love it,” he says, his voice carrying a grin even through the phone. “The first time I fell in love with acting — that feeling — it hasn’t changed. It’s grown. I’ll probably love it even more next year.”

That spark ignited early: fourth or fifth grade, a school production of Hamlet. No stage lights. No roaring crowds. Just a boy discovering something that felt wholly, quietly right. “It wasn’t even about the applause,” he recalls. “It was about doing something I didn’t think I could do. It felt like a win — but not like sports. It was just me, doing this thing that made me proud.”

Leaping into the Craft

Though he trained at performing arts schools, Escarpeta initially followed a different path. In college, he was an athlete — track, football, full scholarship. But then came an audition that changed everything. A film role landed in his lap, and so did a choice: stay safe or leap.

“I talked to my mom,” he says. “She told me, ‘Go for broke. Just make sure if you do it, you really do it.’ So I did. And I never looked back.”

But jumping in meant learning on the fly. Acting, he quickly found, wasn’t just lights and scripts — it was business. The kind of business that could blindside you.

“It’s very easy to get lost in the sauce,” he admits. “You’re booking jobs, doing interviews, and it feels magical. But the business side? Residuals, health insurance, taxes? That stuff will catch up to you if you’re not paying attention.”

There was a stretch where he wasn’t working, living off savings, facing uncertainty. “And I realized: I can’t just enjoy this — I have to manage it. This is show business, not just show.”

That lesson — heart and hustle in equal measure — changed how he moved through Hollywood. Especially during the quiet spells.

“You can’t just ride the wave of ‘what’s meant for me is meant for me.’ You’ve got to stay awake. That’s where the real growth happens.”

Becoming Zeke: A Genius in the Shadows

One role that demanded every bit of that growth? Zeke Wallace on NBC’s Found.

Zeke isn’t loud. He’s not even in the room most of the time. He’s a tech genius living with agoraphobia — building the digital architecture that keeps the team’s mission alive, all from behind a screen.

“He’s one of the smartest people in the room — but no one sees him,” Arlen explains. “And he’s okay with that. Or at least, he tells himself he is.”

Zeke doesn’t chase credit. He craves order. Control. Predictability. “He’s coding his own reality, one algorithm at a time,” says Arlen. “Trying to make the world make sense.”

A World Behind the Mask

For Arlen, Zeke is personal.

“He’s perfectly, humanly flawed,” he says. “He wears a mask like we all do — but Zeke? He’s built a whole world around it.”

That world is propped up by love: a chosen family that accepts him without question. “It’s a gift and a curse,” Arlen reflects. “They give him space, but it also means he has to be strong enough to know when it’s time to face reality.”

Those internal battles — between safety and growth, solitude and connection — are why Arlen holds Zeke so close.

“Because of those hurdles in front of him, it makes me love him even more. There’s so much more for him to grow and become.”

Playing the Silence

Portraying Zeke isn’t about big swings — it’s about stillness. Breaths. What isn’t said.

“It’s like threading a needle emotionally,” Arlen explains. “You want to honor his anxiety, his coping mechanisms, without reducing him to them. He’s not just a disorder. He’s not just a genius. He’s a man who’s terrified and hopeful at the same time.”

The breakthrough came during his screen test.

“I was playing it tough, like Zeke had to prove something,” he recalls. “But the note I got was — you don’t have to overcompensate. Zeke’s already part of the family. That changed everything. I redid the take — and that was it.”

The Series: Found

Found isn’t your typical procedural. It leans into discomfort — into the aftermath of disappearance, not just the rescue.

“The show is a mirror,” Arlen says. “Every character is dealing with loss, with identity, with moral compromise. No one’s clean. No one’s untouched.”

Zeke’s inner conflict — his quiet need to help without being seen — gives the show its pulse. “He’s not in the field, but he’s in it. And that matters.”

That nuance comes with support. Showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll doesn’t micromanage — she empowers.

“She shared a character bible with us. She told us, ‘You’re going to know your character better than anybody. So let it be.’ That kind of trust? That’s rare.”

Zeke & Gabi: Love, Quietly

At the heart of Zeke’s world is Gabi — played by Shanola Hampton. Their bond is tender, strong, and unspoken.

“There’s something sacred in it,” Arlen says. “Where others see Zeke’s agoraphobia as a limitation, Gabi sees him.”

She doesn’t try to fix him. She simply invites him to be seen.

“It’s love in its most cautious form,” Arlen smiles. “But it’s love nonetheless.”

What’s Next: Freedom to Play

So what’s next for Arlen Escarpeta?

He shrugs — grounded, sure of himself.

“I’m at a point where I feel like I can play with anything,” he says. “I may not book it. But I’m gonna have fun at that audition, for sure.”

And for an actor who’s found freedom in quiet roles, in honest emotion, and in loving the craft just as much as the result — that joy? That’s the win.