Meet Roman Engel, the 17-year-old New Jersey native whose talent, style and charm are making him one of Hollywood’s most exciting new faces.
Roman stars as Benjamin in James Gray’s Paper Tiger, playing the son of Scarlett Johansson and Miles Teller’s characters alongside Adam Driver.
The NEON crime thriller opened the New York Film Festival on Sep. 25 and will hit theaters nationwide on Nov. 20.
But even with a major Hollywood movie on his resume, Roman is still a regular Jersey teen. He goes to school, hangs out with friends and works at his local pizzeria.
Roman grew up performing, appearing in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular as a child before landing roles on Sesame Street, Saturday Night Live and New Amsterdam. He also starred in the feature film Legacy Peak in 2022.
And it turns out he’s just as passionate about fashion, even designing his own look for his first major red carpet at NYFF, turning the script into the liner of his jacket.
We got to chat with Roman to hear how his acting dream began and what it was like working with Paper Tiger‘s star-studded cast. He also shared the story behind that custom suit. Read it all in the interview below.
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Sweety High: When did you discover your passion for acting? Was there any specific a-ha moment that made you realize it was the path for you?
Roman Engel: As a kid I had a vivid imagination, and I would do a lot of pretend play.
I remember being almost 4 years old, watching Austin & Ally on the Disney Channel, and I told my mom I wanted to be on TV. I would say at that moment that’s when everything just clicked.
(Photo credit: NEON)
SH: Tell us about Paper Tiger. What is the film about, and where does your character, Benjamin, fit into the scheme?
RE: Paper Tiger is a crime thriller based in New York in 1986. Uncle Gary (played by Adam Driver) comes to his brother Irwin ( played by Miles Teller) with a huge money-making job.
Irwin knows the family could use that money so he takes the job, which turns their lives upside-down. The whole wrong place, wrong time definitely takes place for both Ben and his big brother, Scott.
SH: Would you say you’re similar to Benjamin? In what ways are you most alike and most different?
RE: There’s a few scenes with Irwin and Ben that reminded me of my relationship with my dad.
Ben and I definitely have some similarities, we’re both the younger brother and we both love our family. I was really able to connect with Ben’s character.
SH: What was it like working on the film with huge stars including Scarlett Johansson, Miles Teller and Adam Driver?
RE: I guess I thought I was going to feel a little starstruck, and I was, but when we all met they made me feel so comfortable right away.
The first scene we filmed was around a dinner table. I think when people sit down at a dinner table, it kinda creates that sense of family. I think that’s a big part of the real chemistry you’ll see in the movie.
(Photo credit: NEON)
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SH: Did they pass on any valuable advice to you?
RE: I wouldn’t really say advice. It was more like connecting with each one them at certain moments.
Scarlett helped me out with my frustration of having to get pulled off set to do tutoring. It was nice to know that she understood how I was feeling because she was a child actor. I was having such a great time on set that I didn’t want to get pulled off because I didn’t want to miss anything.
Both Miles, and Adam would just talk through scenes with me so we could make them great.
SH: What was your favorite moment from the shoot?
RE: I think when we were in between takes we would have fun conversations. It was really good to get to know each other, I think it helped create that family unit.
SH: What are your favorite things to do in your free time?
RE: I really like listening to all sorts of music, putting puzzles together to decompress. I enjoy hanging out with my friends. We usually hang out our friends house, go out to eat, or go see Broadway shows. I really love the beach and I like to shop in Soho NYC.
(Photo credit: NEON)
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SH: What was a film or TV show recently that really had you hooked? What was it about the story or performances that you loved?
RE: I recently watched the movie Inception with Leonardo DiCaprio. I love movies with twists and plots. That movie has many layers that you have to piece together like a puzzle.
SH: You designed your own look for the NYFF red carpet. What were your inspirations, and what was the process of putting that together?
RE: During my downtime on set, I started sketching out what I would like my suit to be like if I ever had the opportunity to be at a red carpet event. I really had no idea at that time that there would be one.
I pay attention to detail, so I wanted to create my own look. I worked with a tailor, I picked out the fabric, the thread and buttons. I really loved working with James and everyone on this movie.
I guess that passion led me to come up with the idea of having the script made into the liner of my jacket.
(Photo credit: NEON)
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SH: Where else can we see your work right now?
RE: If you go on my IMDb, you can look at my past projects. Some are still available online to see, but I’m really excited about everyone seeing my work and Paper Tiger.
SH: Is there anything else our readers should know about you or your acting?
RE: I started acting at the age of 6 doing some local theater. I later moved onto commercial work, did some voice overs as Chase from Paw Patrol for video games, toys and learning apps.
When I was 10 years old I had the chance to live in NYC while I performed as Ben in the Christmas Spectacular with the radio city Rockettes.
I filmed a movie in Colorados Rocky Mountains and my character’s name was Ben. Ironically, my character’s name is Ben in Paper Tiger. I’d say the name Ben has been a lucky name for me.
For more on the young actors who inspire us, click HERE to read our interview with Ella Grace Helton and her worker in Apple TV’s Brothers.
