The somewhat autobiographical movie Música dives into the life experience of Rudy Mancuso, and its unique cast helps to make this difficult endeavor possible. As a musician, there’s no question that Mancuso has a passion for music, but his 2024 movie reveals that this is something of a torturous experience. Between his struggle with rhythmic synesthesia and the pressures of being the child of an immigrant in the United States, the internet star and filmmaker has quite the story to tell—and his musical-ish movie Música was the perfect outlet to do so.
The Prime Video movieMúsica, released on April 4, 2024, features a young man whose rhythmic synesthesia means his brain obsessively picks up melodies and rhythms in everyday sounds. Living in Newark, New Jersey, he must find a balance between the music in his mind, his relationships, and the heavy expectations of his family while also finding a fulfilling purpose. The trailer for Música describes it as a “true-ish” story, and with a Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 95%, it must have struck the right note with audiences. Of course, this has everything to do with the talented cast.
Internet star and musician Rudy Mancuso grew up in New Jersey and began to gain a following on Vine in 2013 with his comedy sketches. In 2015, Mancuso started his YouTube puppet series, Awkard Puppets, for which he also wrote and performed a variety of songs. He appeared as himself in the 2016 YouTube Red special, The Keys of Christmas, along with Mariah Carey and DJ Khaled. Mancuso’s acting career started in 2019 when he played Wes in Rim of the World, and he has since appeared in the 2023 movie The Flash, playing Albert Desmond.
As well as being the writer, director, and composer for Música, Mancuso stars as a fictional version of himself in the film. Like the actor, Rudy suffers from synesthesia, a cognitive experience in which a person’s senses become overlapped. In the case of this Música character, the sounds of everyday mundane life process as rhythm and music as his brain attempts to reorganize them into something new. Though this enhances Rudy’s musical ability, it can also be torturous.
Born in Charlottesville, Virginia, to Brazilian parents, Camila Mendes made her screen debut playing Veronica Lodge on the popular CW teen drama series Riverdale from 2017 to 2023. In 2020, she took her career to the big screen, starring in the thriller Dangerous Lies and taking on a supporting role in Palm Springs. Mendes has since played in movies like Do Revenge (2022) and Upgraded, the latter of which was released on Prime Video a few months before 2024’s Música.
Mendes plays Isabella in Música, a young woman Rudy meets and immediately falls in love with. Described as “different, beautiful, and smart” in the 2024 movie’s trailer, Mendes’ character is the accepting force that contrasts with Rudy’s ex-girlfriend Haley.
North Carolina-born actor and comedian J.B. Smoove started his career on the 1995 show Def Comedy Jam and continued it as a writer and cast member for NBC’s Saturday Night Live from 2003 to 2006. As an actor, J.B. Smoove is best known for his roles on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm and the sitcom The Millers (2013-2015). Since then, he has appeared in movies like Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), The Jesus Rolls (2019), On the Count of Three (2021), and Back on the Strip (2023).
J.B. Smoove plays Anwar in Música, a friend of Rudy’s who is seen working in a food truck in the movie’s trailer. Anwar offers Rudy some support about whether he should pursue a relationship with Isabella, get back together with Haley, and follow whatever path his mother has set out for him.
Francesca Reale, born and raised in Los Angeles, started her on-screen acting career playing Emily in two seasons of the Netflix Miranda Sings serie, Haters Back Off. Reale gained further notoriety for her role as the lifeguard Heather in season 3 of the Netflix hit show Stranger Things in 2019. Since then, she has appeared in movies like Yes, God, Yes (2019), Do Revenge (2022), and Parachute, with her TV roles including a 10-episode stint on the series Wireless (2020). Reale also lent her voice to the character Nel in the 2022 video game Horizon Forbidden West.
In Música, Reale plays Rudy’s ex-girlfriend, Haley, who seems to disapprove of the direction that his life is going. This leads the pair to break up, but when Rudy meets Isabella, Haley is suddenly back in the picture and interested in getting back together. Combining this with Rudy’s constant musical torment and the Música protagonist’s life continues to get more complicated.
Maria Mancuso as Maria – The part of Rudy’s mom in Música is played by Mancuso’s real-world mom, Maria Mancuso. In the film. Maria is obsessed with setting her son up with Brazillian girls and criticizes his relationship with Haley (who is white). Though the real Maria has no prior acting experience, her presence in the semi-autobiographical movie adds to the authenticity of the writer and director’s experience, allowing Música to connect especially with children of immigrant parents.
Gabriela Amerth as Jill – The part of Jill in Música is played by Brazillian actor Gabriela Amerth, who played Titi Elizabeth in the 2022 TV series Brownsville Bred.
Camila Senna as Luana – Camila Senna, best known for her roles in The Bribe (2019), The Helianthus (2020), and Rooming with Danger (2023), plays Luana in Música, a woman whom Rudy’s mother tries to set him up with.
Regina Schneider as Claire Dombeck – The part of Claire in Música is played by actor Regina Schneider, who is best known for playing Babe Paley in Netflix’s Halston (2021) and First Lady Miriam Diaz on NBC’s The Blacklist.