Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has an incredible cast, and while everyone in the ensemble has had their moments, it's fair to say Sandro Rosta has shouldered the lion's share of scenes as one of its leads. It's an impressive accomplishment considering this is his first television series fresh out of acting school, and CinemaBlend had to ask how he felt acting alongside Oscar-winner Holly Hunter.
Rosta and co-star Zoë Steiner were both onhand to speak to me ahead of their latest episode, and while I loved hearing about the mind space and how real it was, I was fascinated to hear more from Rosta, who hadn't done hardly any acting in Hollywood ahead of Starfleet Academy. His IMDB credits list one short film beyond his role in the series available with a Paramount+ subscription, but I was surprised to hear nerves weren't much of a problem for him. The actor credited that to veteran Holly Hunter, and shared what she brought to their scenes specifically, saying:
Well yeah, obviously, there was lots of intimidation, but the magical thing about Holly is that she dissolves that as soon as she can. What made it so great to work with her is that she just met me exactly where I was, and she didn't make me feel like I was. punching to like meet her at her level, you know what I mean?
That's exactly what I'd expect from an actor of Hunter's caliber, but it's great to hear Sandro Rosta express that all the same. He has held his own in his scenes not only with her, but also another Oscar-winner on the cast, Paul Giamatti. That's a whole highlight reel right there.
The actor had more to share about how great Holly Hunter was to work with. That's great, considering they're going to presumably continue working together in Season 2, so he can likely expect more of this treatment from his co-star. In his words:
She treated me as a collaborator, a fellow castmate, and an artist. I didn't feel like there was any energy of having to keep up with her. It was just straight collaboration, and it was shocking, but it was exactly what I needed at the time.
Sandro Rosta and the rest of the young cast have received lots of acclaim from critics and audiences alike. It isn't hard to see the young adults of the group representing a new generation faced with a rapidly evolving world rife with conflict and see the mirror it's pointing back at society.
Right now, the cast is still hard at work and filming Season 2, though we're still a little over halfway through the release of Season 1. The good news is we could have a trailer for the new season before the 2026 TV schedule is up, or at least a clip showing off Sandro Rosta and the young crew continuing to represent the next era of Starfleet.
As such, the series received and continues to receive criticism for its content, with even government officials speaking out. The noise doesn't seem to bother the cast at all, with Karim Diané giving a mic drop statement to CinemaBlend about why he's proud to be a part of the series.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy streams new episodes on Thursdays only on Paramount+. Season 1 is officially in the back half, and I can't wait to see how it sets the stage for Season 2, and what's next for the cadets as they continue their journeys in the 32nd century.
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