This past January, I had the honor of conducting an interview with a guy named Armani. Armani went viral on social media with his hashtag #ArmaniForAladdin as he tried to get Disney Studios to notice him and potentially cast him in the upcoming live-action Aladdin movie, directed by Guy Ritchie. To his success, Armani has landed two auditions for the role of Aladdin. Continue reading to see what Armani has been up to since January!

What have you been doing since our last interview? You've had auditions for Aladdin, right?

A: Since our last interview, I've had 2 auditions for Aladdin along with changing management and representation. I'm now under APEX Talent Group and I'm excited to pursue my future and career with them. I've also been working on some short films that are in development right now and excited to get those up and running in the next few months.

How was the audition process for Aladdin? What's next as far as that?

A: I can't go into detail about the actual auditions, but I can say that they were nerve wrecking, exhilarating, powerful and something I've been waiting for since 2015. It's crazy to believe I had this thought 2 years ago and now it's almost becoming a reality. For now, I just have to wait out the process and I need to stay humble and positive because I don't take any of this for granted. I'm lucky to be in this position and be able to pursue my dreams. It's out of my hands for now.

Staying positive is definitely important, but I'm so glad to hear that you landed a few auditions for it. That's amazing! Can you give a few details about the upcoming short films? Maybe tell us what we could be expecting?

A: Thank you, thank you. I've been super blessed to have been able to get this far. All of the positive feedback from friends, family, and people worldwide is very exciting and thrilling. I don't know much yet about one of the short films, but we are currently in the pre-production phase for a film I helped create called "Sons of Saints". It's about 6 boys who have been abandoned by their family and grow up together. They build this strong brotherhood over the years, but things get out of hand when they become rivals with a local gang. It is going to be feature length, so 90 minutes. My character, the lead role named Michael, is the most level headed out of his 6 "brothers". He is a deep thinker and writer who always seems to settle the group down and control the situation. I'm extremely excited to get to work on this one.

That actually sounds like quite the thrilling film. When can we expect it to be released?

A: It's super thrilling! The cast is amazing and we actually begin table reads in about 2 weeks, followed by a month of rehearsals. Production is expected to start in July and will last until late August or early September. I'm not sure about the official release date, but it'll for sure be out in the summer or fall of 2018.

That's wonderful! I have no doubts about its future success. So, tell me, do you think the hashtag #ArmaniforAladdin was successful in the end? Did it grow your "fan base"?

A: We're hoping it reaches a large enough audience to showcase all the talent involved. As a young artist, all we can do is work to make our talent and art seen, other than that we just have fun with it and live day by day knowing that we love what we do and enjoy making movies for ourselves and others. Honestly, yes! The hashtag has given me so much success on all social media platforms. I have "fans" messaging me from all corners of the world. If it wasn't for them tweeting and telling their friends and blasting my images and videos all over the internet, I doubt my interest to be Aladdin would have been heard globally. These past couple of days, I have read articles about me as the best choice for Aladdin from Italy, UK, France, and even Mexico. It's insane!

Did you ever think that in a million years you'd be getting so much attention from all over the world?

A: Not at all. Of course, I've always had fantasies and it was always a dream, but to now actually see my name and face in these magazines and articles and have all these people commenting and messaging me is so surreal. I guess it's just my hard work paying off and the devotion to the people supporting me from the beginning.

What should we be expecting from you these next few months or even years? Or are you just kinda going with the flow?

These next few months should be filled with lots of work and filming. Apart from that, I will be an uncle next month, so there's that! I'm super excited for that because I was always the youngest in the family with 3 older siblings and cousins, so now I'll have someone I can spoil and be an "older figure" to. I expect to keep growing as an actor and artist to shine through my work I produce on the big screen along with being a good son to my parents and brother to my siblings. Each day is a new day to grow and if you aren't growing in SOMETHING then what're you doing? I have a fantasy (or goal, whatever you want to call it) to be at the Oscars before I'm 30. I turn 22 next month so I have 8 years to go. So we shall see.

Keep up with Armani and his future endeavors by following his social media (Twitter & Instagram) @Armani_Salado and continue using the hashtag #ArmaniforAladdin as this role could define his career and open up so many doors filled with opportunities.