Most people wouldn’t expect an actor like Charlie Caruso, ‘26, to be interested in sports and American football specifically, but Charlie has never been concerned with other people’s expectations.
He became a Jacksonville Jaguars fan in middle school. “I played with them in Retrobowl,” he said. “I also really like their colors and always love an underdog story.”
Charlie also sees more parallels between football and acting than others might initially suspect. Just ask him to talk about his favorite player, tight end Evan Engram. “He always shows up when it matters, kind of like me on the stage,” he said.
Caruso’s first love, though, was theatre.
When I asked him what he loved most about acting, he said, “It’s just fun to do something that allows you to use the talents that you have and fun to know that you are doing something that a lot of other people couldn’t do.”
Although Caruso cannot do what an NFL player does on the field, I don’t know many football players who can do what Charlie does on the stage.
Some of his favorite characters he has portrayed include Skipper in “A Lonely Boy’s Guide to Survival and Werewolves” in 7th grade, which was the first leading role he ever played, and Mr. Wormwood in “Matilda”, a show he did in the summer where he was a comedic character who got to sing.
I asked a follow-up question on where this role in “Philadelphia, Here I Come” ranks on that list and he said, “It would definitely be in the upper half of my theatre experience. This role is particularly interesting because there is also a character playing my inner mind, which makes it challenging, but also allows for a wide range of acting choices.”
With the show taking place in Ireland, the actors have had to learn an Irish accent to add to the authenticity of the show.
I asked Caruso about some challenges that came with that and he replied, “One challenge I wasn’t expecting was that my previous show I was doing required a British accent, and transitioning to an Irish accent was a bit tough. There are no r changes, but there are a lot of vowel changes that are very difficult to figure out.”
I closed the interview by asking Caruso to make a pitch for “Philadelphia, Here I Come” and he responded, “It is a very interesting show with how it’s staged and done. I don’t think I have ever heard of a show that has an inside character and an outside character. It also is a great comedy and will no doubt give the people what they want.”
Opening night was October 3 at the one and only Skip Viragh Center and Caruso was confident, emotional, and attention-grabbing as the lead man. If you missed the show and want to see a similar performance, just ask him if he thinks Trevor Lawrence is really the answer for the Jaguars at quarterback in the near future—his response will be truly impassioned. Acting and football: for Charlie Caruso, these often opposite interests go hand in hand.
