‘Tiny Fugitives’ Star Jai Soundar Talks Indian Representation In Hollywood

He may only be 12 but he’s got his sights set on some major things already. Child actor Jai Soundar, who stars in Johnny Knoxville’s new movie, “Tiny Fugitives,” has a handle on what he wants his future to look like and he’s proactive about it all. In addition to wanting to continue to work on great projects as an actor, he’s also working hard on his own projects, and is also determined to help get more Indian representation in entertainment. 

Jai sat down with The Blast for an exclusive chat about the recently released “Tiny Fugitives,” what projects he’s got in the works, and why it’s important for him to bring more attention to Indian representation in the entertainment industry. 

‘Tiny Fugitives’ Hit Theaters In Mid-September

Produced by Seth Rogan and starring Johnny Knoxville, “Tiny Fugitives” is a comedy about a group of 12 year olds who make it their mission to have the best summer ever at sleep-away camp. They are faced with the obstacle of a difficult camp counselor, played by Knoxville, making the summer more of a cat and mouse game for the kids. 

Jai stars as the central character in the group, Leon, alongside Aaron Harris (“Matlock”), Benjamin Pajak (“The Life of Chuck”), and Alyssa Gervasi (“The Umbrella Academy”). 

Jai was discovered by James Gunn when he was cast in “Superman” in 2025. Shortly after, he scored the lead role in “Tiny Fugitives.” When he’s not acting, he working on his own projects, playing guitar, enjoying school, and singing, as well as spending time with his family. 

‘Tiny Fugitives’ Was Jai Soundar’s First ‘Main Character Role’

While discussing the new movie with Jai, he shared this was his first “main character role” in a film, so it was a really exciting adventure.

“I feel like it was something a lot of people could connect to, and just really it would have been a great experience, and it was,” he told The Blast exclusively about getting the role. He then went on to explain a bit about the storyline. “There’s five children who escape camp and never want to leave, while a 50-year-old camp counselor tries to track them down. It’s just a really amazing movie. I think a lot of people are gonna love it because it can really relate to your actual camp days and your childhood days. I really feel like it’s about acceptance and everything you ever dreamed of as a child.”

Working with Knoxville was something Jai said he won’t soon forget. 

“So, Mr. Johnny Knoxville, I remember working with him on set, and especially for this, for the scene where I bite his finger off, because this is in the trailer. After I bit his finger, when I was doing that scene, it felt exhilarating because you know I’m doing stunts with the literal king of stunts,” he shared. “Basically, working on set with him was a blast, of course. He’s a very, very talented actor and he’s able to tap into those emotions; he has emotional depth.”

He added that he was really happy to have the opportunity to work with Knoxville and he loved his time on set with him. And while Seth Rogan is a producer on the film, Jai never got the chance to meet him, but said he appreciates his work. He also mentioned appreciating a writer and director making the kids feel “comfortable” on set. 

“Writer Jacob Kaplan and director Michael Lewin would always talk to us on set and make us feel comfortable,” he added. “We talked so much during lunchtime, and it would feel like we were able to be comfortable in our own skin on set. I just thought it was an absolutely amazing time.” 

Getting His Start In Acting

Jai told The Blast that he remembers being 5 years old, sitting on the couch watching TV and asking his mom, “Why does nobody on TV look like me?” His mom then shared a Gandhi quote with him, “Be the change you want to see,” and that’s exactly what he set out to do. By the age of 8, he was involved in the theater and realized he absolutely loved it. That’s what led him to pursuing a career in TV and film. But his ambitions aren’t stopping there. 

“Now, I’ve been in the industry for four years and I’m actually writing my own stuff. It’s a sci-fi comedy trilogy. It has this whole storyline and I think you guys are going to love it,” he said. “It’s absolutely amazing.” 

He continued by sharing what it was like for him to work with James Gunn. That was also the first set he ever worked on. 

“So working with him, I really got to test the waters of what working on a set was really like and he was phenomenal,” Jai said. “He would always guide us young child actors into what we should be doing and how set basically works, and that being my first experience, it helped me learn what set is actually like.”

Trying To Bring More Indian Representation Into The Spotlight

While Jai is just 12 years old, he is on a mission to bring more inclusion into the acting world. 

“Why I feel like it’s necessary to bring diversity into the acting industry is because us, as people in America, inclusion is a must. I feel like in the acting industry, not enough inclusion is happening,” he said. “And I feel like a lot of other people see that and so we have to diversify casting and basically work for integration in acting.”

He also shared that he feels it’s important because many times, “ethnic characters get sidelined.” He also touched on the topic of being stereotyped into specific roles with “certain criteria.” 

“The acting industry needs to have Indian main characters sometimes and that’s what I’m fighting for,” he said. “I remember the casting directors did not care that I was Indian [when casting for Leon in ‘Tiny Fugitives’] and didn’t bring it up at all. That’s what I really loved about that set, and I want other sets to be like that too and give children of different backgrounds of ethnicities a chance.”

Advice For Other Children Wanting To Get Into Acting

Being a successful child actor, Jai had some advice for other kids who hope to get into acting. 

“Some advice I’d give a young actor coming into the industry is never, never, never give up. Keep on fighting because nothing is going to be handed to you on a silver platter in anything that you ever do,” he told The Blast. “You have to keep working for it. You have to keep on fighting for it.”

He reiterated that “fighting” for what you want is the best advice he can give. He also said, “it’s all about enjoying the process.”