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He may only be 12 but he’s already looking at some major things. Child actor Jai Soundarwho appears in it Johnny Knoxvillethe new movie,”Little refugees” he has a handle on what he wants his future to look like and he is proactive about it. Apart from wanting to continue working on great projects as an actor, he is also working hard on his own projects, and is also determined to help get more Indian representation in entertainment.
Jai sat down with The Blast for an exclusive chat about the recently released “Tiny Fugitives”, what projects he has in the works, and why it’s important to him to bring more attention to Indian representation in the entertainment industry.
‘Tiny Fugitives’ hit theaters in mid-September
Produced by Seth Rogan and starring Johnny Knoxville, “Tiny Fugitives” is a comedy about a group of 12-year-olds who make it their mission to have the best summer ever at away camp. They are faced with an obstacle from a difficult camp counselor, played by Knoxville, making the summer more of a cat and mouse game for the kids.
Jai stars as the group’s main character, Leon, alongside Aaron Harris (“Matlock”), Benjamin Pajak (“The Life of Chuck”), and Alyssa Gervasi (“The Umbrella Academy”).
Jai was discovered by James Gunn when he was cast in “Superman” in 2025. Soon after, he got a lead role in “Tiny Fugitives”. When he is not acting, he works on his own projects, plays guitar, enjoys school, and singing, as well as spending time with his family.
‘Tiny Fugitives’ was Jai Soundar’s first ‘lead role’
While talking about the new film with Jai, he said that this is his first “main character role” in a film, so it was an exciting event.
“I feel like it was something that a lot of people could relate to, and it just really would have been a great experience, and it was,” he told The Blast exclusively about getting the role. He went on to explain a bit about the story. “There are five kids who escape from camp and don’t want to leave, while a 50-year-old camp counselor tries to find them. It’s just an amazing movie. I think a lot of people love it because it can really connect to your camp days and your childhood days.
Working with Knoxville was something Jai said he won’t soon forget.
“So, Mr. Johnny Knoxville, I remember working with him on set, and especially for this, for the scene where I bite his finger off, because this is in the trailer. After I bit his finger, when I was doing that scene, it was fun because you know I’m doing stunts with the literal king of stunts,” he said. “Basically, it was a blast working with him, really. He’s a very talented actor and he’s able to tap into those emotions; he’s got emotional depth.”
He said he was thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Knoxville and enjoyed his time with them. And although Seth Rogan was a producer on the film, Jai didn’t get a chance to meet him, but he said that he appreciates his work. He also mentioned appreciating the writer and director making the children feel “comfortable” on set.
“Writer Jacob Kaplan and director Michael Lewin would always talk to us on set and make us feel comfortable,” he said. “We talked so much over lunch, and it felt like we were able to be comfortable in our own skin on set. I just thought it was an amazing time.”
Starting to act
Jai told The Blast that he remembers being 5 years old, sitting on the couch watching TV and asking his mom, “Why doesn’t anyone on TVlike me?” Then his mom shared a Gandhi quote with him, “Be the change you want to see,” and that’s exactly what he wanted to do. By the age of 8, he was involved in the theater and realized that he loved it. That is what led him to pursue a career in television and film. But his intentions do not stop there.
“Now, I’ve been in the business for four years and I’m actually writing my own stuff. It’s a sci-fi comedy trilogy. It has this whole story and I think you’re going to love it,” he said. “It’s absolutely amazing.”
He continued by sharing what it was like working with James Gunn. It was also the first set he ever worked on.
“So working with him, I really got to experience what it was like to work on set and it was amazing,” Jai said. “He would always guide us young actors in terms of what we should be doing and how a set basically works, and since it was my first experience, he helped me learn what a set is like.”
Trying to bring more Indian production into the spotlight
While Jai is only 12 years old, he is determined to bring more inclusion into the acting world.
“The reason I feel the need to bring diversity into the acting industry is because we, as people in America, need inclusion. I feel in the acting industry, there’s not enough inclusion happening,” he said. “And I feel like a lot of other people see that so we need to diversify casting and basically work for integration in acting.”
He also said that he thinks it is important because many times, “ethnic characters are marginalized.” He also spoke on the subject of being stereotyped in certain positions with “certain criteria”.
“The acting industry sometimes has to have Indian protagonists and that’s what I’m fighting for,” he said. “I remember the casting directors didn’t mind that I was Indian [when casting for Leon in ‘Tiny Fugitives’] and he did not give it up at all. That’s what I really liked about that set, and I want other sets to be like that too and give children of different ethnic backgrounds a chance.”
Advice For Other Children Who Want To Get Into Acting
Being a successful child actor, Jai had some advice for other kids hoping to get into acting.
“The advice I would give to a young actor coming into the industry is to never, ever, never give up. Keep fighting because nothing is going to be handed to you on a silver platter in anything you do,” he told The Blast. “You have to keep working for it. You have to keep fighting for it.”
He reiterated that the best advice he can give is “fight” for what you want. He also said, “it’s about enjoying the process.”
