Xolo Maridueña relies on his family to keep him grounded as he prepares for the release of “Blue Beetle,” his first starring role. He explained to People Magazine, “That has been a thing that has helped keep my mental state the best, having people around me that have been there,” adding that without his family, it would be harder to “figure out where I fit in with this larger Hollywood world or ecosystem.”

Maridueña calls his family “the biggest source of support” he has and said that, no matter what he tried, “they always instilled such confidence in me and believed in me. Even though I was a bad soccer player, they still went to my game! I wasn’t always the best, but they really helped create this sense of confidence at a young age, whether it was illusory or real, that I could do anything that I put my mind to. They were so supportive, and they made so many sacrifices.”

Maridueña also credits his mother for helping him prepare for the comic book movie role. He shared, “I personally was not a huge comic book reader. But my mother, who helped raise me and was reading me bedtime stories at night, definitely was reading comic books instead of, you know, ‘Goodnight Moon.'” He continued, “She was the type of kid who worked to buy records and comic books, so for that reason, of course, I knew who Blue Beetle was and had watched “Young Justice” and was familiar with the character.”

Maridueña has received positive reviews for his work in “Blue Beetle.” A portion of the Movieguide® review reads, “Blue Beetle” is an engaging superhero movie with lots of heart. It has exciting action scenes and plenty of jeopardy. Even better, “Blue Beetle” has a strong, morally uplifting worldview, with some light Christian references. The movie shows Jaime’s love for his family is his greatest strength. Sadly, however, this pro-family message is marred by excessive foul language, brief false theology and some politically correct Marxist content. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises extreme caution for “Blue Beetle.”