VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: Jaden Michael On His Y.A. Series ‘Shelter’

Jaden Michael, actor and model known for his role in Colin in Black & White, discussed his new Prime series Shelter in an exclusive uInterview.

Shelter follows a high school student named Mickey, played by Michael, who lives with his aunt after putting his mother in rehab and losing his father. When he receives word from an elusive figure that his father may still be alive, Mickey and his friends set out on a journey to uncover the truth about his family.

“Mickey Bolitar is a young kid who has been all over the world but has never had a home,” Michael explained. “The story is about finding a home and learning how to settle down, and learning how to build friendships. It’s also about learning how to let go and move forward. There are a lot of different moving parts and character arcs, and I think it’s wonderful.”

When asked if he had a favorite memory of working on the show, he said that he enjoyed any time spent with Nancy De Mayo and Kristoffer Polaha, who plays Mickey’s mother and father.

“We had a chemistry test before meeting each other, and the way that we just fell in love so quickly was kind of magical,” he said. “That is one part of the business that I love so much, being able to meet two strangers and feeling almost instantly like they are my family. All of those moments with [Mickey’s] mom and dad feel real like they could actually be my parents. It feels so authentic, and those feelings were created in 20 minutes.”

Michael admitted that he had concerns about doing the show, but was convinced by his belief that young people will be able to connect with the story.

“I was never able to connect with Young Adult stories growing up. I never watched Disney Channel or Nickelodeon because I could never connect with those shows. I was sort of apprehensive about this show before signing on: I thought, ‘Do I really want to do a kid’s show?'” Michael said.

“But I kept on reading it and it was so rich with character and plot. There were so many layers to everyone’s characters… people always say to young people ‘Can you understand this? Can you handle this?’ Especially as a young person in this industry, people are always asking me these types of questions. Knowing that other young people like me can understand the heaviness and the seriousness that can come along with high school drama like this was inspiring. I felt like I had to tell this story, because if I can understand it, I know that other young people can, and this was a huge motivator.”

Shelter will be released on Prime Video on August 18.