Jacob Gutierrez’s path to Netflix’s Big Mistakes was anything but ordinary. While preparing for grad school in clinical psychology, the Broadway actor unexpectedly landed a role opposite Dan Levy in the chaotic new comedy series. Playing Tareq, the secret boyfriend of Levy’s character Nicky, Gutierrez brings warmth and authenticity to a queer storyline about love, secrecy and identity — all while balancing the surreal experience of stepping into a major television breakthrough.
Jacob Gutierrez walks out of his grad school class, chatting casually with classmates about weekend plans. Then he reaches the curb.
“So I was waving goodbye to my class. I was like, ‘Yeah, have a good night. Goodnight.’ And then I got in this unmarked car and just went away,” he says, laughing. “They were like, ‘Jacob is in the mafia.’”
Not exactly. Well, sort of.
Gutierrez was not heading into a life of crime, but he was on his way to play one on screen. The actor stars in Netflix’s new series Big Mistakes, alongside Dan Levy, Taylor Ortega and the legendary Laurie Metcalf.
In the series, Gutierrez plays Tareq, the boyfriend of Levy’s character Nicky, in a fast-moving, chaotic comedy about two deeply unprepared siblings who stumble into the world of organised crime. What begins as a misguided attempt to help their dying grandmother quickly spirals into something much bigger, as Nicky and his sister Morgan, played by Ortega, keep failing upwards in increasingly stressful and ridiculous ways.
The show, which premiered on April 9, blends family dysfunction, high-stakes danger and a string of terrible decisions that only seem to create even bigger problems. Fortunately for Gutierrez, submitting a self-tape for the role was not one of them.
We caught up with Jacob Gutierrez, joined by his adorable dog Beaux, to talk about the new series and the whirlwind experience of joining a major Netflix comedy. Naturally, Beaux had to be present for the Zoom call. “Say hi to all the adoring fans.”
The call that changed everything
“I was sort of pivoting, starting grad school in the fall for clinical psychology,” Gutierrez recalls.
After years of acting, including a long run on Broadway, he was taking a step back and reassessing what came next. A major television role was not exactly part of the plan. Then his niece called.
“She said, ‘Are you still doing the acting thing?’”
That question led to an audition for a Dan Levy project that had apparently been difficult to cast. Gutierrez recorded a tape, sent it through and initially tried not to overthink it. Then the process began moving quickly.
“They were like, ‘Hey, they really like your tape. Here are some notes from Dan…’”
A retape led to a chemistry read. The chemistry read led to an offer.
“And then a day later I found out I got it,” he says.
Within days, Gutierrez went from considering a part-time job to help cover grad school costs to starring opposite one of television’s most recognisable creators.
“I got to postpone the whole like, let’s go apply to Costco journey,” he jokes.
Living a double life
The timing made the experience even more surreal. Gutierrez began filming in early August and started grad school just two weeks later.
“People have said to me, ‘You’re like Hannah Montana switching these hats day and night,’” he jokes.
Despite the size of the opportunity, Gutierrez kept the role relatively quiet. He told a few people he had a show coming up, but some friends did not discover the news until the trailer was released.
Building chemistry with Dan Levy
Gutierrez also brought a surprise into his first chemistry read with Levy.
“I was so nervous… but it was fun. I felt really loose and free,” he says.
At one point, he improvised a moment that caught Levy off guard.
“There was a moment where I said something that I think really threw him… and I watched him sort of break,” he recalls.
It was the kind of instinctive moment actors hope for but cannot force. For Gutierrez, it left him feeling that, regardless of the outcome, he had given the audition everything.
“If that doesn’t go my way, I did everything I could have done,” he says.
Of course, it did go his way.
Once on set, Gutierrez treated the experience like a masterclass. Coming from a theatre background, including seven years in Broadway’s Aladdin, he found the demands of screen work both new and exciting.
“Watching him switch hats so seamlessly between writer, producer, actor…” he says of Levy.
What struck him most was Levy’s ability to remain completely present as a performer, even while carrying so many responsibilities behind the scenes.
“That moment of him dropping into the scene… it was incredible to see,” he adds.
Why this queer story matters
Beyond the professional growth, Big Mistakes also gave Gutierrez the chance to tell a story that felt personally meaningful.
As a queer actor, portraying a layered LGBTQ+ relationship on screen was not something he took lightly.
Levy’s character, Nicky, is a pastor in a denomination that requires gay men to remain celibate. That means his relationship with Tareq, the local handyman played by Gutierrez, has to stay hidden.
Even so, seeing queer relationships represented on television still matters. For Gutierrez, it was important to bring honesty to the quieter and more intimate parts of Nicky and Tareq’s relationship, especially the moments that unfold behind closed doors.
“Being an LGBTQ person myself, it mattered to me… that I get to actually go do that,” he says. “The more we can amplify these stories, the better.”
Now that season one of Big Mistakes is streaming on Netflix, Gutierrez is still taking in the scale of the experience: the sudden career shift, the visibility, and the challenge of balancing two very different worlds.
Through it all, he says his focus has been simple.
“My whole thing… has been like, strap in for this ride… and just be grateful,” he says.
