Noah Centineo recently shared sweet words about his close friend and fellow actor Rachel Zegler, calling her “the sweetest, most talented person” during a media appearance. The pair have never worked together on screen but have maintained a close friendship over the years.
Centineo also opened up about his addiction struggles, revealing that he had a wake-up call before his drug use got “way worse.”
Hollywood never runs out of good but surprising celebrity friendships, and the latest example is the close bond between Noah Centineo and Rachel Zegler.
The “Black Adam” actor appeared on an episode of Josh Horowitz’s “Happy Sad Confused” podcast to discuss his upcoming film, “Union County.” During the conversation, he spoke glowingly about Zegler’s personality and talent after the host mentioned he’d been texting her.
Horowitz pressed a little further about their closeness, which Centineo readily confirmed. “We are. We’re very close. And she’s the best,” he said.
Noah Centineo Calls Zegler The ‘Sweetest, Most Talented Person’
The 30-year-old actor gushed about her acting chops, calling her “the sweetest, most talented person” he knows before adding that the range of her abilities is “insane.”
“She really is one of the most talented artists on the planet. Not just her emotional capacity, but, like, her vocal strength and capacity, her acting ability, like the fact that she can dance, and, like, with what Evita, I can’t wait to see. Did you see it yet?” Centineo continued.
After expressing how much he is in “awe” of Zegler, he also shared words of support for his “Gundam” co-star Sydney Sweeney, who has faced heavy backlash over the years, including over her polarizing “Euphoria” character and controversial American Eagle campaign.
“She’s lovely…I think people love to hate on her on the internet. I can say this, having done a film and spent months and months and months of my life with her now: they have no idea who she is. She’s great,” he said.
Noah Centineo Reveals How He Met Rachel Zegler
The former Disney star was then asked how they first met and became so close despite never having worked together.
“No. No. Yeah. We’ve never actually been on camera together. At least not like, I think, together. That’s true. There are photos of us. We’ve never worked together, you know,” he admitted.
Centineo recalled meeting Zegler at Zachary Levi’s house in Atlanta while he was filming “Black Adam” and she was working on “Shazam! Fury of the Gods.”
He said they immediately got along and have maintained a close friendship ever since. “We just like got along. What is the expression? Like a house on fire. And she just became precious to me,” he said.
Centineo Opens Up About His Addiction Struggles
Elsewhere during his chat with Horowitz, Centineo turned his attention to his personal life as he opened up about his struggles with substance abuse.
Looking back, he told the host he was fortunate to recognize his destructive patterns before things spiraled further out of control.
“I think I’m at a crossroads. I think if I don’t figure this out and stop now, it’s going to get way worse,” he recalled telling himself at the time, a decision he now believes was the right one.
“It was difficult for me, and it was my experience, and I’m still reckoning with that in my own ways in my own life. [It is] quite privileged … that I can even identify it,” he added.
Noah Centineo Reveals What Helped Him Get Sober
Centineo also acknowledged that support from his family and access to resources played a huge part in kickstarting the process of change. His struggles reportedly began around the time he landed the role of Jesus Foster on Freeform’s “The Fosters.” At the time, he was still young and spent time with friends smoking marijuana.
Things changed after he turned 18 and began dating someone older who was already using hard drugs and introduced him to them. Centineo recalled, “By the time I turned 21, I woke up one morning, and there was a different guy looking outside of my head than the day before, and that scared me.”
Since quitting drugs, he has remained focused on growing his career and putting in the work, particularly because he takes his responsibilities on set seriously.
