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Rafael Casal

Rafael Casal

Actor, producer and writer · Born August 8, 1985 (41) · Berkeley, California, USA

Independent Spirit Award nominee

Rafael Santiago Casal (born August 8, 1985) is an American writer, performer, and producer originally from the Bay Area. Rafael's first TV appearance was performing on three seasons of HBO's Def Poetry, and as a creator online with millions of YouTube/Facebook views for his original music, poetry, web shorts, and political commentary. His theater-in-verse work has brought him around the country and the world both in the realm of activism and arts performance at hundreds of colleges and venues. Rafael is the Co-Founder and Artistic Director of the BARS workshop at The Public Theater in New York.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 8, 1985 (41)
From
Berkeley, California, USA
Works as
Actor, producer and writer
Titles
13 on MovieCove · 22 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 157 days to Oct 28Down 13% in 30 days

What are Rafael Casal's films like?

Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
26%
Bonds
24%
Society
18%
Power
15%
Survival
7%
Ideas
7%
Morality
3%
Community4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 5 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 1 · Serious 1 · Dark 3

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 3 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 2 · Intense 2

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 1 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 1 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 1

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 2 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 2

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 3 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

2 analyzed roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
4
Contemplative
3
Dread
2
Hopeful
3
Warm
2
Other
7

How their films linger

Unsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet5
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Rafael Casal's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 13 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Rafael Casal's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

22 credits, 13 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Boroughs(2026)

    Show 8 episodes · as Neil Otero

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows

  • Stages(2026)

    as Jason

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Lowdown(2025)

    Show 2 episodes · as Johnny

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all shows

  • Wildcat(2023)

    as O.E. Parker

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Brighter - A Short Film (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Director · Producer

  • We Were Hyphy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Executive Producer · as Self

  • Blindspotting(2021)

    Show 16 episodes · Creator · Executive Producer · Writer · as Miles Jones

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all shows

  • Loki(2021)

    Show 4 episodes · as Hunter X-5 / Brad Wolfe

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows

  • Happily(2021)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    as Jack

  • The Good Lord Bird(2020)

    Show 3 episodes · as John Cook

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • Before the Fire(2020)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Are You Afraid of the Dark?(2019)

    Show 3 episodes · as Mr. Tophat

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows

  • Bad Education(2019)

    as Kyle Contreras

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Stucco (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    as Throne

  • Blindspotting(2018)

    Music Producer · Producer · Writer · as Miles

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • x Infinity (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Actor

  • 44 Cats(2018)

    Show Writer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all shows

  • Rachel Dratch's Late Night Snack (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Show 1 episode · as Elliott

  • Hobbes & Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Show 8 episodes · Director · Creator · as Calvin

  • Fade to Black (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Zach · as Zack

  • First Sight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director · Producer · Writer · Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 88th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 20 titles, 18 of them dated from 2014 to 2026; peak year 2018.

Biggest box office

Blindspotting (2018)

$5M worldwide

Highest rated

Blindspotting (2018)

Midcredits 92nd

Most popular right now

44 Cats (2018)

Film career

20142026

Peak 2018 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting17 of 20: 13 only acting, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score69thDirecting3 of 20: 0 only directing, 3 with another roleWriting3 of 20: 0 only writing, 3 with another roleProducing5 of 20: 1 only producing, 4 with another roleMusic1 of 20: 0 only music, 1 with another roleOther crew3 of 20: 1 only other crew, 2 with another role

20 titles, 5 with more than one role — acting and producing overlap on 3 of them.

By decade

2010s7 · 7 acting · 2 crew2020s11 · 8 acting · 4 crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

Nominated for an Independent Spirit Award in 2022, Best New Scripted Series.

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Rafael Casal's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 63rd percentile, the median of all 6; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 84th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

84thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Approval · how many liked their films

75thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Reach · how many have seen their films

81stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Midcredits score across 13 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

6 of their 13 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Loved with Detractors1
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser6
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · writer

44 Cats (2018)

91st percentile spread · 27% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor, writer, producer, composer

Blindspotting (2018)

Midcredits 92nd · 78% liked

Reviewers score the acting 79/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles; fans 85, detractors 58. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Rafael Casal's work okay for kids?

Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, every category sits near the median of all films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Sex & Nudity5 titles21–51 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Rafael Casal work with?

People who share at least 2 of Rafael Casal's MovieCove titles; Jasmine Cephas Jones shares the most, 2.