Understanding Santi in ‘Neon’

By Ricky Valero
Published: October 23, 2023 (Last updated: last month)
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Santi, Ness, and Felix in Netflix's Neon
'Neon' (Credit - Netflix)

The Netflix series Neon follows Santi, an aspiring reggaeton star who moves to Miami with his best friends with one mission in mind — to get a record deal. Shea Serrano created the eight-episode series which stars Tyler Dean Flores in the lead role of Santi. 

Santi, Ness, and Felix are lifelong friends who head to Miami to try and get Santi a record deal. Of course, things don’t go as planned, with the trio facing many unlikely obstacles, including a run-in with a drug-dealing mad woman, a record assistant lying about her job, and a girl that comes in between the trio. All of this leads to a wild and crazy comedic yet dramatic ride. 

The overall series tried too much with its storylines, making it lose some focus in certain aspects. However, we see some strong writing in Santi’s story that leads to some compelling moments and good TV. Tyler Dean Flores felt like he was meant to play the role with the compassion and genuine will to want this stardom. His chemistry with best friends Ness (Emma Ferreira) and Felix (Jordan Mendoza) was the other highlight of the series. 

Santi is an aspiring reggae performer we meet early in his career when his newest song is moving up the charts. As a result of the song climbing the charts, Santi and his two friends, Felix and Ness, decide to pack their bags and head to Miami.

It almost felt like Santi’s dream of one day becoming a massive star with a record contract felt as close as ever. Upon arriving in Miami things looked really good for Santi as they met with what they thought was a record executive who wanted to sign him to a deal. However, Mia wasn’t who she said she was, leading to Santi and his crew reaching out to other people to get a deal.

Tyler Dean Flores, who plays Santi in Netflix's Neon

Tyler Dean Flores as Santi in ‘Neon’ (Credit – Netflix)

Tyler Dean Flores played the role of Santi. Flores was born May 12, 1998 in Harlem, New York. At a young age, he discovered a passion for acting, but his career started in the modeling world. His career trajectory quickly turned when he sent in a self-tape audition for the film The Dark Knight Rises. This led to him booking his first acting part, and the rest is history. 

Tyler Dean Flores broke into the acting world in the final film of the Christopher Nolan trilogy The Dark Knight Rises at 14 years old. He appeared in several TV shows like Blue Bloods and Netflix’s When They See Us but saw his career take another boost with his five-episode stint as Diego in the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. 

Neon isn’t the only project that Flores starred in. You can watch him in the Hulu original film, Miguel Wants to Fight, where he plays the lead role of Miguel. 

Flores first posted about his casting in Neon on his Instagram back in November 2022.

 


Read More: Where was Neon on Netflix filmed?

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