Mixed-ish Star Ethan William Childress Talks Season One Finale, and Lessons Learned on Set
Ethan William Childress is a eleven-year-old actor and model from Las Vegas, Nevada, who enjoys playing soccer, video games, and guitar in his free time. He also stars in the ABC hit show Mixed-ish as the Johnson family’s young son Johan. The television series is a spinoff of Blackish which starred Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross. Ross is also featured as a cast member in the spinoff as her trademark Rainbow Johnson.
Mixed-ish just recently premiered the season finale of its first season and Childress recently sat down with me to discuss a variety of different topics such as what is like to work with Ross behind the scenes, and some of the lessons he has learned at a young age from being a part of the ABC hit show.
What is it like working with Tracee Ellis Ross on screen and behind it on ABC’s Mixed-ish?
She’s a very happy and energetic person. She’s like a big kid herself so it makes it so much fun to be around her. She’s also very smart and funny. She knows exactly what she likes. She is also very generous and supportive. She would send personal messages and notes throughout the season, encouraging us to be our best selves also.
What are some of the life lessons you have learned at such a young age from your time on the show?
Family is so important. I mean, you know that your mom and dad are always going to be there for you. But the show has taught me that even siblings can be just as important. That family is everything, and they’ll be there for each other no matter what. The really amazing thing is how much my TV family feels like a real family offset too.
The season finale of Mixed-ish is scheduled to be released on May 5, 2020. We know you cannot give anything away, but do you anticipate it setting up the first episode of next season?
I can say that it does not. None of the episodes have really set you up for what’s going to happen the following week. What I can tell you is that it was so much fun to shoot this episode, and I personally cannot wait to see how it all came together. You’re really going to see 80’s culture coming through in this episode.
With the whole world quarantining due to COVID-19, what have you been doing to occupy your time?
I have been watching Netflix shows and Disney+ movies. I have been staying in touch with friends either on my phone or thru Discord. I also have been playing my online video games. I, of course, still have school work every day as I was already doing online school, so the quarantine didn’t change that for me. And I have been taking online classes when available. Oh, and luckily I have been able to do auditions still.
Every actor or actress dreams about pursuing other hobbies or interests. I know you are still young, but do you have things that you want to pursue one day?
I have always had an interest in coding. And gaming. My mom keeps telling me that I have to have a backup plan, so I guess at this point, I would say that when I go to college, it will probably be for coding games. If I decide to stop acting, I may even go back to playing sports as well. All I really know at this point is I like trying new things.
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