'I Made It': Bergen County Resident Makes Acting Debut In Netflix Musical

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — "Be yourself; everyone else is taken," singer, actor and piano player Jonathan Lengel, of Bergen County, said on his Instagram bio.

Lengel, who performed at Camp Dragonfly — a theater camp in Ridgewood — when he was younger, is making his professional acting debut in Netflix's film adaptation of "13: The Musical," about a Jewish kid named Evan who is going through a "kid-life" crisis.

"We are all very proud of Jonathan," said Carlos Rendo, the mayor of Woodcliff Lake, where Lengel is from. "I congratulate (him) on his movie debut."

Lengel lives with a rare type of muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair like his character, Archie — who goes to Evan's new school — does in the movie. He was discovered as part of an international casting call for the role, Netflix said.

"So grateful to Netflix and so many more for believing in me," Lengel said in an Instagram post the day after the premiere at The Paris Theater in New York City. "Can't wait for the world to see the work of this amazingly talented and diverse cast."

A self-declared "music man," Lengel, who began singing with his church choir at age six, has performed on stage locally with many musical theater groups and choruses, Netflix said. He was featured on the Muscular Dystrophy Association 70th Anniversary Show in 2020, singing and playing piano.

Signaling to Lengel that he had achieved success was the sight of himself on a Times Square billboard, and in an Instagram post, he was seen to be ecstatic.

"It's official. I made it," Lengel said in the video, which was captioned with: "literally jumping out of my wheelchair and screaming." He added that he may have watched the digital advertisement cycle through "over a ton of times."

In another video, Lengel said he relates to the character of Archie, calling him a "super funny and confident guy."

"(Archie) kind of tends to joke about his life circumstances... like me in real life," he said after taking a beat.

"13: The Musical," with co-stars Josh Peck and Rhea Perlman, hits Netflix on Friday, Aug. 12. Next for Lengel is a role in the indie musical comedy "Theater Camp," alongside stars Ben Platt, Molly Gordon and Amy Sedaris.

"Jonathan has always been an inspiration to everyone that has been blessed by his smile and positive outlook, no matter the obstacles that lie in his way," said the Lower Hudson Valley Youth Chorus & Theatre, where Lengel grew up performing, in a Facebook post. "From his first performance, Jonathan has been very entertaining and wowing audiences with his talent, adorableness, humor, perseverance and infectious spirit."