Photo: Craig Sjodin/ABC
WhileJuan Pablo Di Paceis best known for playing the lovable Fernando on the hit Netflix seriesFuller House, the 38-year-old Argentina-born performer is also turning heads with his impressive moves onDancing with the Stars.
Before Di Pace partnered up with two-time Mirrorball trophy championCheryl Burke, he received advice from hisFuller HousecostarsCandace Cameron BureandJodie Sweetin(bothDWTSalums!) on pushing through the stress and enjoying his time on the show.
After a decade of singing, acting and dancing, the multi-talented star has become a natural at stealing scenes and hearts, both onscreen and off.
Here are five things to know about Netflix’s triple threat.
1. He was Meryl Streep’s dance partner inMamma Mia
In his early twenties, his first agent suggested he rent and observe all his favorite actors’ films.
“He was like, ‘Ok, watch every single movie they’ve ever made and see what makes them special,’” Di Pace told PEOPLE. “I literally went to Blockbuster and saw every singleMeryl Streepmovie there ever was and I kind of got a sense of her personality through her roles.”
Less than a year later, he got a call from a casting director asking him to audition forMamma Mia.
2. He is an introvert
“My very first love was drawing. I was one of those sensitive kids with no friends, who would literally sit in the corner and draw. I was obsessed with animation,” Di Pace said. “I was very shy.”
Despite spending his childhood behind-the-scenes, when Di Pace turned 17, he landed the role of Danny Zuko in a school production ofGreaseand became very comfortable on stage.
“All of a sudden this performing monkey came out of me. It was like a chemistry between me, the stage and the audience—it was electric. It was like, ‘This is what I’m meant to be doing,” theFuller Housestar recalled. “It was bigger than me.”
3. He predicted he would go onDancing with the Stars
After watching Jodie Sweetin, 36, onDWTS, he said, “I had a weird sense of déjà vu and I was thinking, ‘Oh no, I’m going to end up doing this show.’”
“I was in the audience and saw the machine work and realized it is a very well, oiled machine. People change the sets in like a minute and ten seconds and the whole stage changes and the camera work is impeccable,” he noted.
4. He is a singer
He released his first music video for his single “Broken,” in February and is already making more.
5. He fights cruelty against animals involved in circuses
Peta
“To see what things are done to them in the circus is really upsetting,” he continues. “They sleep in tiny cages. They’re forced to do things they don’t want to do. They beat them up. What we see in the circus is just a fraction of what these poor animals have to go through.”
source: people.com
