Why Poe From Five Feet Apart Looks So Familiar

"Five Feet Apart," released in 2019, tells the heart-wrenching story of two teens, Stella Grant and Will Newman, who are afflicted with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). They are under strict hospital orders to stay six feet apart in order to prevent cross-infection of bacterial infection, which can be deadly for individuals with CF. However, Stella and Will soon find themselves drawn to one another, and secretly begin dating, choosing to only stay five feet apart as a sign of their devotion to each other. "Five Feet Apart" is a moving tale of teen romance, and falling in love even in the face of tragedy and hardship.

"Riverdale's" Cole Sprouse and "The Edge of Seventeen" actress Hayley Lu Richardson star as Will and Stella, respectively. Moisés Arias also stars in as Poe Ramirez, another CF patient and one of Stella's closest friends. The actor may look familiar to many viewers — but where have we seen him before?

Moisés Arias may be best known to fans for his work on hit Disney Channel show "Hannah Montana." From 2006 to 2011 — the entirety of the show's four-season run — Arias starred as Rico Suave, the teenage manager of the local snack shop. Born to a wealthy family, Rico is a trickster and social climber, frequently engaging in schemes and using his considerable memes to influence his friends into getting into trouble with him. Despite all this, he is a good friend to Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus) and her close pals Oliver Oken (Mitchell Musso) and Lily Truscott (Emily Osmett). Miley's Brother, Jackson (Jason Earles), is often at odds with Rico, though their disagreements are usually quite amicable. Rico is, amusingly, also the only character to never find out Miley's hidden alter-ego as Hannah Montana, as he only discovers her big secret in the series finale. 

Arias also reprised his role as Rico in 2009's "Hannah Montana: The Movie." However, the actor, now 27 years old, has since shed his Disney persona and moved on to more mature projects. He is also almost completely unrecognizable from his days as Rico.

In 2013, Moisés Arias starred in "The Kings of Summer."  The heartwarming and hilarious coming of age tale follows three teenage boys who, fed up with their lives, decide to build a new home in the woods. Arias plays Biaggio, a loner who tags along with friends Joe Toy (Nick Robinson) and Patrick Keenan (Gabriel Basso) as they set out to create a new life in the wilderness. Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally, Alison Brie, and a pre-"Riverdale" Lili Reinhart also star in the film, which was the directorial debut of Jordan Vogt-Roberts.

"The Kings of Summer" premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and was well-received by critics, holding a 76% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Catherine Bray of Time Out called it "a gorgeous, amusing ode to the pleasures of stretching your wings a little," with Mike McCahill at The Guardian saying, "there's a lot of warm-hearted and commendably daft business along the way." 

Moisés Arias took on a more serious role with 2016's "Ben-Hur," a remake of the cherished 1956 film based on Lew Wallace's 1880 novel. The epic historical drama tells the story of the fictional Jewish nobleman Judah Ben-Hur, who becomes enslaved by Romans in the time of Jesus Christ. Arias stars as Dismas, a Jewish teenager whose family is murdered by Romans and eagerly fights for his people's freedom. Punished by the Romans for his crimes, Dismas becomes one of the two men crucified next to Jesus. In an interview with Amazon, Arias spoke of "Ben-Hur's" key themes, saying, "This whole film...the undertone is what's moral, what's the right thing to do."

"Ben-Hur" was a box office flop, grossing just $26.4 million against a $100 million budget, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. Currently, the film holds an paltry 5.0 user score on Metacritic, along with a disappointing Meta score of 38. However, the film further showed Arias' ability to take on more complex roles than he had in the past, something he would only continue to showcase in films like "Five Feet Apart."

More recently, Moisés Arias impressed audiences with his work in 2020's "The King of Staten Island." Directed by Judd Apatrow, the film is a semi-autobiographical telling of Pete Davidson's life — or rather, what it would have been had he not found success in comedy. Arias stars as Igor, a friend of Davidson's character Scott. 

In an interview with Nerds and Beyond, Arias shared how thrilled he was to land the role, saying the script was "instantly captivating," adding, "Once I got in the room with Pete and Judd, I was sweating unimaginably...And when I got the call a couple months later to go to New York, I was incredibly excited to be a part of this film. And then a year later to see it come out the way it did, it's very exciting." Arias also spoke on the emotional weight of the film, saying, "I think that a lot of people felt both sides of [the conflict], which I think was the intention to really feel the lows of this character. And maybe in yourself, you might understand the characters. I think it's a different film."

A gritty coming-of-age film like "The King of Staten Island" is a stark contrast from Arias' early days on "Hannah Montana." However, this young actor's star power only continues to grow, and we imagine even more impressive roles are on the way.