Heavy DWTS
“Dancing With the Stars” alum and actor Joseph Baena is set to star in a new movie slated for a holiday 2023 release.
According to Deadline, Baena will star in “Athena Saves Christmas,” a holiday film that has already started shooting. He’ll be joining Cuba Gooding Jr., Paxton Kubitz, Kylie Marshall, Santiago Ramirez, Richard Portnow, Mars Callahan, Glenn Plummer, and Kaitlyn Raymond, per the outlet.
Baena has worked as an actor in four released projects and has four upcoming projects in the works, per his IMDb page. He’s also an avid bodybuilder.
“Athena Saves Christmas” follows Samuel, his friends, and his dog when they’re pitted against a mob boss, according to IMDb. The movie is set to be directed by Josh Webber, and it was written by Greg Crowder, Tony Mercedes, and Webber.
Joseph Baena Lost Weight During ‘Dancing With the Stars’
During season 31 of “Dancing With the Stars,” Baena was partnered with fan-favorite professional dancer Daniella Karagach and ended the season with an elimination that fans found shocking.
Baena later said the elimination felt like the “worst breakup” of his life, though he is grateful for having spent the time in the competition. Fans were upset on behalf of Baena, with some going as far as to call parts of the show “rigged.”
“Why does getting eliminated from DWTS feel like the worst breakup of my life,” he wrote in a video posted after his time on “Dancing With the Stars.” The caption for the video reads, “I miss you already @daniellakaragach.”
In a now-deleted Instagram post, Baena revealed that he lost 10 lbs during his time on the show.
“No one asked for it but I thought I would share the physique difference from the beginning of @dancingwiththestars to the end of it (6 weeks),” he wrote. “First video(taken today): 195lbs. Second Video(taken 6 weeks ago):205lbs.”
In the videos, Baena showed off his toned physique both before and after the competition.
Karagach Called Working With Baena a ‘Pleasure’
After they worked together on “Dancing With the Stars,” Karagach took to Instagram to share her love for Baena. She shared that she loved working with the bodybuilder and she was very proud of how far he came.
“It has been my absolute pleasure to turn this kind hearted, talented and genuine man into a ballroom dancer,” Karagach wrote. “@joebaena as I’ve said from the start, you are one of the purest souls I’ve met in a long time. Our journey wasn’t always easy but we found our path and made it our own. Im extremely proud of you and the dancer you’ve transformed into.”
She added that she’s “excited” for where Baena goes next in his career. Baena was one of the first people on “Dancing With the Stars” to learn that Karagach is expecting her first baby, as he saw the sonogram on her phone during a rehearsal and asked if the baby was hers.
Now that Baena is breaking into more film roles, his audience will be able to keep up with him in new ways.
“Dancing With the Stars” is set to return in the fall of 2023 on Disney+.