Actor Nik Sanchez, who starred alongside Holly Robinson Peete in the 2021 Hallmark movie Our Christmas Journey, is rewriting the narrative when it comes to neurodiversity. The 20-year-old actor and aspiring filmmaker, who describes himself as “awesomely autistic,” is competing in the 2025 Easterseals Disability Film Challenge.
The competition was founded in 2013 by actor, comedian, producer, and disability advocate Nic Novicki.
“I created the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge to help accelerate change within Hollywood and to provide filmmakers and actors with tangible work experience and with an opportunity to tell authentic stories,” he said. “We are proud of the amazing films produced over the past 10 years — viewed around the world — and the successes our participants have gone on to achieve.”
‘Free Time’
Sanchez submitted a five-minute film for this year’s challenge, which had the theme ‘Thriller and Suspense.’ His movie, titled ‘Free Time,’ can be viewed here:
Since the competition was founded, more than 750 films have been created by teams from all over the world. Each year a panel of professionals review the films and winners in five categories — Best Film, Best Director, Best Writer, Best Actor and Best Editor — are announced at an awards show in May.
Born storyteller
A California native, Sanchez was diagnosed at a young age with autism and ADHD. His mother enrolled him in acting classes at the age of five because he enjoyed role-playing.
“The instructor told me I wouldn’t do well because I had the attention span of a gnat,” Sanchez said.
He went on to prove the instructor wrong. At 15, he landed an agent and soon after got his first professional gig on the ABC series The Rookie.
Hallmark star
Sanchez made history at the age of 17 when he was the first actor on the autism spectrum to feature in a Hallmark film. In Our Christmas Journey, he played Marcus, a young man with autism who wants to move out of his mother’s home into an independent living facility.
In April 2025, Sanchez will appear in The Accountant 2, a film headlined by Ben Affleck. He is also finishing a degree in Film and TV Production.
In an exclusive interview with TV Cheddar, Sanchez talked about his experience with filmmaking and the competition:
TV Cheddar: You submitted a film to the competition last year as well. What did you learn from the experience?
Nik Sanchez: I learned how to be better prepared with my vision for the film. Last time, we started with a 15-page script. At that time, I did not know the script rule of thumb: “1 minute per page.” Luckily, school and other writers I know helped me with this. Last year, we had to make so many cuts leading up to the challenge, and then even some more during the challenge while
shooting and editing. That was frustrating because good pacing was almost impossible to achieve. We had more days to actually shoot, based on our crew members’ availability, but we definitely could have gotten an even better movie if I was more prepared, script wise. I learned from that mistake and went into this year with only a 5-and-a-half page script.
TVC: Last year, the theme was ‘Buddy Comedy.’ This year, it was ‘Thriller and Suspense.’ Did you find this year’s theme more challenging?
NS: I think this year was actually a little easier for me. ‘Free Time’ really resonates with something that I personally struggle with sometimes. As much as I love it, I can be oblivious to the bad side of the online world sometimes. I wanted to create a story about how dangerous the online environment truly can be, with a creepy twist. I had a lot of fun with it.
TVC: You had a short period of time in which to make the film. How did you make it all come together so quickly? How long did it take from start to finish?
NS: Well, based on the challenge rules, we could have used like 3-4 days for shooting. Unfortunately, our crew had limited availability…so we did everything in like 16 hours. Actual shooting time was probably like 10 hours. It was a loooooong and chaotic, but fun shoot. Luckily everyone gets along really well. My mom was the best producer and kept things moving along. And both my moms created the perfect Craft Services [catering], so we had everything we needed to stay hydrated, fueled, energetic, warm — whatever we needed. The entire crew was my actual family, my best friend, Luke and my favorite cinematographer and family friend, Diego. I could not have done this film without their help. Two of my uncles even rearranged their schedules to help me make the creepy shed. They are both so good at that kind of stuff. It’s actually their job, in real life. Even my big sister filled a role through the computer from her college campus, which is like 13 hours from me. So, I am just really lucky to have this kind of support system.
TVC: The movie has a surprise ending — which we won’t reveal here. Without getting into too many details, can you talk about how you came up with the concept?
NS: I really love the ending but it was definitely surprising to me too. The original script didn’t include this ending at all. But we shared the script within the family and thought it originally felt more like a PSA. My mom actually pitched the idea to me for the ending that we went with. She watches A LOT of thrillers and murder shows and cop shows. I was immediately
locked in on the idea. We have a whole concept to build on if we ever get to develop the movie further. All I’ll say, is that you should pay close attention to the small details within the film.
TVC: You have a part in the upcoming movie The Accountant 2, starring Ben Affleck. What was it like working on a studio film (as opposed to a TV show or TV movie)?
NS: I loved working on that set. Everything was very well organized and accessible too. It was also cast authentically, so there were other neurodivergent people to talk to, which is always awesome. I actually only got this role thanks to Nic Novicki, creator of the Disability Film Challenge. He’s the one who found about the casting call and recommended me along with other autistic actors to this role. Once you’re in the EDFC Community, you really get so many opportunities to further your career. From training, to seminars, to auditions that lead to jobs and more. Nic Novicki is THE BEST.
This is my first studio film so far, so I don’t have too much to compare it to, but I definitely enjoyed this experience. Everyone was so kind. The Director, Gavin [O’Connor], was so cool and funny. He would often ask us for our input on different things about the film. And he would listen and sometimes change things based on our ideas. That felt really good. I’m going to school for Film Production, so if Gavin thinks I have good ideas, I think I’m on the right track. It was truly an awesome and wonderful experience, and I would do it again in a heartbeat!
You can catch Nik Sanchez’s movie ‘Free Time’ on YouTube here.
For more information on the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, visit their website here.
