10 Things to Know About War For Planet of the Apes's Gabriel Chavarria

Published on July 17, 2017 at 3:50 PM

Gabriel Chavarria first stole our hearts as Tito in the 2007 movie Freedom Writers, and now he's taking on a totally different role in the blockbuster War For Planet of the Apes. "[My character] Preacher is one of the soldiers in the army that's going after Caesar [the ape leading that army]. They call him Preacher because he finds his religion in all this craziness that's going on around him," he told us during a phone interview.

Being part of such a huge franchise like Planet of the Apes is a big deal for Gabriel, so we are sure we will be seeing him on the big and small screens a lot more (who didn't love him as Jacob on East Los High?). Get to know 10 interesting facts about your new crush, straight from Gabriel himself.

His First Job Was on the Big Screen

"It was Freedom Writers. It was acting. I was in high school, so that was my first job ever."

He's Obsessed With Hats

"I want to say [I own] maybe 25 to 30 hats. I think that's a little bit. Is that a lot?"

His Celebrity Crush Is Ariana Grande

"I have to tell you who it used to be and who it is now. I had a crush on Nicki Minaj before, but now it's Ariana Grande."

He Likes to Get Down and Dirty When He's Free

"I'm obsessed with buying stuff for my house and decorating it."

His Favorite Social Media Platform Is . . .

"I would say Instagram, for sure. They are killing the game."

The 1 Actor He's Been Dying to Work With Is . . .

"Denzel Washington."

His Guilty Pleasure Is One We Have, Too

"Oreos! I'm addicted to them."

He's Superstitious AF

"I'm very superstitious. For example, when I play soccer, I have to have certain socks under my game socks. If I don't have those socks on, I don't play well."

He Is Far From an Only Child

"I come from a big family. I have 10 brothers and one sister."

Soccer Was His First Love

"If I wasn't acting, I would have been playing soccer right now."