While Josh dela Cruz is not the only Filipino-American actor in Hollywood, he is the only one who has been cast as a lead in a hit children’s show while identifying as his real self: a Filipino-American. 

Josh is the current host of Nickelodeon’s kids’ show Blue’s Clues. He has been playing the role since 2019, and children from all over have fallen for his genuine charm and talent.

Read: WATCH: ‘Blue’s Clues’ returns with Fil-Am host Joshua dela Cruz

In the show, Josh is the cousin of Blue’s previous friends, Steve and Joe. Actors Steve Burns and Donovan Patton who respectively played the said characters actually made a cameo for the reboot’s pilot episode.

Read: Fil-Am host gets in touch with OG presenters in all-new ‘Blue’s Clues’ clip

In real life, Josh was born in Dubai to Filipino parents, and has both Ilocano and Bicolano roots. Josh graduated from Montclair State with a degree in Musical Theatre. Then he went on to pursue a career on Broadway, where he became part of several productions such as The King and I, Here Lies Love, Merrily We Roll Along, and Aladdin, among others.

Like many before him, Josh didn’t find it easy getting a job in the industry as a Filipino-American.

“One of my pet peeves is whenever I see representation but they’re just there because they needed an Asian person,” he admitted.

“I love the fact that I get to be Filipino-American, and it has nothing to do with me being an immigrant. I’m so proud that I’m an immigrant,” he added. “However, as an actor, it can get frustrating that the only roles are that of [an] outsider.”

Josh admitted that he didn’t really see himself having a career on television. Part of it is because he didn’t see anyone he could relate to on TV as as a child.

“I never experienced seeing somebody like me on TV growing up,” Josh shared. “That definitely does play a part in why maybe I never even saw myself on television – or even mainstream media.”

And now, here he is in mainstream television where he is able to embrace his identity as a Filipino-American. To be able to celebrate his heritage and to be acknowledged for his skill and talent is a big deal for him.

“To be able to be in this role because of what I brought to the table not just simply because of my ethnicity, but because of the skills that I have is so important,” he once shared. “And what’s even more important now that I am here, is that how do we celebrate you and share you.”

In Blue’s Clues & You, Josh’s heritage is acknowledged and celebrated. He is now able to represent the Asian community, and more specifically, the Filipino-American community, in media. In fact, the show’s second season introduced Josh’s lola or grandmother, played by actress Carolyn Fe. In one episode, they even made bibingka.

“The special episode meant so much to me because we got to share a piece of our culture,” he said.

Josh is happy to be able to put a part of himself in Blue’s Clues.

“It’s different in so many ways but similar in so many ways as well,” he shared. “All the silliness that I have in real life…. A lot of the time, I’ll be just driving along and I’ll think of something silly and I’ll laugh just to myself and I’ll never tell anybody about it. And a lot of that, I get to put into Blue’s Clues.”

Aside from being the show’s television host, Josh also stars in the full-length movie Blue’s Big City Adventure. The movie was released this November and is about Josh and Blue going to New York in the hopes of starring in a Broadway show.