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Nik Sanchez is an up and coming actor who the world was introduced to in his first film Safe Room.

Safe Room tells the story of teen, Ian who accidentally records the horrific murder of a neighbor and his mom gets embroiled in a deadly struggle to protect him from the killers who break into their home. The movie premieres on TV One this Sunday, July 24th at 9/8c.

Sanchez plays the role of Ian and was joined by a rockstar, veteran cast including Nicole Ari Parker, Drea de Matteo, MacKenzie Austin and Boris Kodjoe, who also directed the film.

In the movie, the mom and son duo (Nicole and Nik) are navigating the horrifying experience while attempting to remain calm, as Ian is a kid on the autism spectrum.

The beauty of the film is the representation of a community of movie fans who are also autistic. And what better way to tell that story, than with Nik Sanchez.

While working on films as a professional actor, Nik is also an advocate for those on the spectrum and prides himself on “Excelling w/ Autism!”

TV One sat down with him in a digital-exclusive interview ahead of Sunday’s premiere. We discussed everything from working with icons like Boris and Nicole, preparing for his role and his on-set memories. But, a very powerful portion of our interview was hearing Nik discuss the intersection of his career and autism.

 

The young actor told TV One that “being on the spectrum doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t reach your goals.”

According to Nik, he learned that society places more restrictions on his abilities than autism does.

“Once I figured that out, I knew I could do whatever it takes to do what I wanted to do,” he said.

It was truly beautiful to hear how much it means to him to inspire and represent an entire community of viewers.

You don’t want to miss Nik Sanchez, Nicole Ari Parker,, Drea de Matteo, MacKenzie Austin and Boris Kodjoe star in Safe Room this Sunday, July 24th at 9/8c on TV One!

Click here to see the trailer.

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