As Adults returns for its second season, actor and writer Owen Thiele is having his moment and stepping further into the spotlight as Anton, one of the members of the show’s wonderfully chaotic group of 20-somethings.

The comedy follows a group of friends/lovers? navigating the strange space between youth and adulthood. For Owne Thiele’s character Anton, he is additionally caught up in the unresolved sexual tension with his roommate and friend Issa’s live-in boyfriend, Paul Baker.

Adults’ second season arrives with a growing audience behind it, and its return is especially significant after the cast spent months unsure whether the show would even make it back. Speaking to Variety, Thiele reflected on the show’s growth, saying: “I feel like now we have a little, tiny, beautiful cult following that hopefully will stick by us and get us that third season..”

In an interview with i-D, he also spoke with particular excitement about Raven Symoné, who appears in Adults as Anton’s older sister, Talia. Thiele has long been a fan of Symoné and her iconic That’s So Raven character, Raven Baxter.

That playful side is a fitting reflection of Thiele himself. While Anton is more guarded and anxious, Thiele has become known for his infectious enthusiasm and openness.

Thiele has described himself as an open book, a quality that comes through in his interviews and creative work.

 

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And there is much more to Thiele than his role in Adults. He is also a writer, performer and creative with a distinctly personal approach to comedy, drawing on his own experiences to explore identity, family and growing up.

Thiele was adopted as a baby by music producer Bob Thiele Jr. and Amy Kanter and grew up in a white Jewish family. His experiences of growing up Black and gay within that environment have become the inspiration for Off Color, his upcoming semi-autobiographical comedy.

The project is also rooted in an extraordinary musical family history. Thiele is the grandson of legendary record producer Bob Thiele, known for his work with some of the biggest names in music and for co-writing Louis Armstrong’s ‘What a Wonderful World’.

His life outside of work also includes a long-term relationship with celebrity stylist Jared Ellner, who has worked with stars including Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo and Emma Chamberlain.

With Adults continuing to build its audience and Off Color offering him the opportunity to tell a story much closer to home, Owen Thiele is proving that he is not simply an actor to watch. He is a creative shaping his own narrative and doing it with plenty of humour along the way.