From left: Nick Jonas, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, and Demi Lovato.Photo:Prodip Guha/Getty; Neilson Barnard/Getty; Jon Kopaloff/WireImage; Phillip Faraone/Getty
Prodip Guha/Getty; Neilson Barnard/Getty; Jon Kopaloff/WireImage; Phillip Faraone/Getty
Nick Jonasis a proud friend.The actor, 32, spoke toVarietyat the Red Sea Film Festival on Dec. 12about the different directions his career has gone in since he entered the spotlight as a child. As someone who started out on the Disney Channel, Jonas credited much of his success to that experience.“I absolutely look back at [Disney] as a creative school,” he said. “It was also school, to be honest. I was between the ages of 14 and 18, which is my high school years. That graduating class ofMiley [Cyrus],Selena [Gomez]andDemi [Lovato], it was all of us coming up together and you can see, frankly, the length of our careers and the success we’ve all been able to have.”From left: Nick Jonas, Demi Lovato, Joe Jonas and Kevin Jonas in September 2008.Dave M. Benett/GettyThe Jonas Brothers had a show calledJonason the Disney Channel, as well as starred in theCamp Rockmovies alongside Lovato. Meanwhile, Lovato had her own showSonny with a Chance. Gomez was best known for starring onWizards of Waverly Placeand Cyrus had a leading role inHannah Montana.Today, though, Gomez recently received a Golden Globe nomination forEmilia Pérez,which Jonas called a “tremendous thing.”“I think that’s a real testament to Disney’s ability to find and foster talent and understand what makes someone unique while finding a way to make it work within their ecosystem,” he noted.Despite his fame, the “Jealous” singer said being known for his time onJonaswith his brothersKevinandJoedidn’t always benefit him. He recalled a time in 2014 when he wanted to audition for the drama seriesKingdom,but was told “a Jonas Brother” wasn’t right for the role.“This was not the first time I’d heard this feedback,” he revealed. “There were projects I went after where the feedback was, ‘There was no way they were going to take a chance on casting you.’”“That was really discouraging,” he added.From left: Nick Jonas, Joe Jonas and Kevin Jonas.Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty ImagesSince then, Jonas has gotten over the hump and went on to have several roles in both movies and television. He also found success as a solo artist after splitting from the brothers’ group in 2013 before they reunited in 2019.In 2025, Jonas will be returning to Broadway, where he got his start at the age of seven. He is taking on a role alongside Tony-winning actor Adrienne Warren in Jason Robert Brown’sThe Last Five Years.“One of the things I’m most looking forward to is being around a community of people who share that same passion,” he shared. “That is the beauty of this art form — you really find your people.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“It comes with a little bit of pressure,” he went on to admit. “But the good nerves, the ones where you feel butterflies, are exciting to me. I’ve spent a week back in New York working on the material with Jason, who is so wonderful to work with and almost surgical about every note, and when you wrap your head around all of the intricacies of his work it just gets even more fun to play in that sandbox.”
Nick Jonasis a proud friend.
The actor, 32, spoke toVarietyat the Red Sea Film Festival on Dec. 12about the different directions his career has gone in since he entered the spotlight as a child. As someone who started out on the Disney Channel, Jonas credited much of his success to that experience.
“I absolutely look back at [Disney] as a creative school,” he said. “It was also school, to be honest. I was between the ages of 14 and 18, which is my high school years. That graduating class ofMiley [Cyrus],Selena [Gomez]andDemi [Lovato], it was all of us coming up together and you can see, frankly, the length of our careers and the success we’ve all been able to have.”
From left: Nick Jonas, Demi Lovato, Joe Jonas and Kevin Jonas in September 2008.Dave M. Benett/Getty
Dave M. Benett/Getty
The Jonas Brothers had a show calledJonason the Disney Channel, as well as starred in theCamp Rockmovies alongside Lovato. Meanwhile, Lovato had her own showSonny with a Chance. Gomez was best known for starring onWizards of Waverly Placeand Cyrus had a leading role inHannah Montana.
Today, though, Gomez recently received a Golden Globe nomination forEmilia Pérez,which Jonas called a “tremendous thing.”
“I think that’s a real testament to Disney’s ability to find and foster talent and understand what makes someone unique while finding a way to make it work within their ecosystem,” he noted.
Despite his fame, the “Jealous” singer said being known for his time onJonaswith his brothersKevinandJoedidn’t always benefit him. He recalled a time in 2014 when he wanted to audition for the drama seriesKingdom,but was told “a Jonas Brother” wasn’t right for the role.
“This was not the first time I’d heard this feedback,” he revealed. “There were projects I went after where the feedback was, ‘There was no way they were going to take a chance on casting you.’”
“That was really discouraging,” he added.
From left: Nick Jonas, Joe Jonas and Kevin Jonas.Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
Since then, Jonas has gotten over the hump and went on to have several roles in both movies and television. He also found success as a solo artist after splitting from the brothers’ group in 2013 before they reunited in 2019.
In 2025, Jonas will be returning to Broadway, where he got his start at the age of seven. He is taking on a role alongside Tony-winning actor Adrienne Warren in Jason Robert Brown’sThe Last Five Years.
“One of the things I’m most looking forward to is being around a community of people who share that same passion,” he shared. “That is the beauty of this art form — you really find your people.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“It comes with a little bit of pressure,” he went on to admit. “But the good nerves, the ones where you feel butterflies, are exciting to me. I’ve spent a week back in New York working on the material with Jason, who is so wonderful to work with and almost surgical about every note, and when you wrap your head around all of the intricacies of his work it just gets even more fun to play in that sandbox.”
source: people.com