David Castañeda gave his father a life-changing gift with his ‘Umbrella Academy’ earnings

The Umbrella Academy‘s David Castañeda and Tom Hopper joined the cast of The Talk today to discuss the successful series, their mesmerizing characters, and how the show has impacted their personal lives. So it was an exciting turn of events to hear that Castañeda was originally going to take a very different career path — one that kept him associated with the family business his parents had worked so hard for.

“They came from Mexico, and all my family — they work in construction, you know, so they came, and they work hard, and they were working in construction, and my dad was like, ‘You’re going to expand on the business, you’re going to go into civil engineering,’ and I said okay, so I decided to do it for two years, and all I did was just shovel dirt — and it was awful. So I went to my parents, and I said, ‘Look, I’ve been doing these student films on the side, and I think I can work something with you guys. How about I go into film production, and I also do international business?'”

You could tell that Castañeda was initially nervous about selling the idea to his parents; he wanted to honor them, but he also wanted to follow his dreams. A show of bravery led him to be able to do both and to gift his father with something incredibly impactful and life-changing.

Castañeda was asked if his parents liked the idea, and he laughed and said the idea of the money was a draw for them at first, but he was quick to say that he was also thrilled that they genuinely are proud of him as an actor.

“Now they are, of course, now I’m able to pay for things that actually — like I got my dad a knee surgery, you know what I mean? So I’ve been using the stage to do stuff for my family.”

The gift of allowing his father a surgery that impacted his life proves that no matter what road Castañeda took, he would do right by his parents. He speaks about his family with gratitude and respect, and he is proud of himself and the ability to have a dream career that also makes his family proud.

You can see Castañeda in The Umbrella Academy on Netflix now and share a thought of gratitude that he picked acting; we’re all happy about it!