Just a few episodes into the CW’s new adolescent sci-fi romance-drama, Star-Crossed, Titus Makin Jr.’s character, Lukas, has impressively eradicated several of his friends’ problems in some way, shape or form. Though the series underscores an epic social experiment in integrating humans and aliens together, Lukas has been a constant help to his classmate and main character Emery in navigating her through the sometimes bemusing journey that is high school; he has also used his tech-savvy skills to help Roman, a member of the ostracized extraterrestrial species known as the Atrians, who have crash-landed on Earth.

Disseminating guidance and knowledge in a subtle, yet at times seemingly powerful way, in a futuristic world held hostage by polarizing and tense race relations, his character arguably echoes back to the accepting mentality of Martin Luther King Jr. by welcoming the outsider Atrians. In this way, the rising talent proves that he is more than just the series’ residential comical mainstay.

In fact, in one sense, one can say that his on-screen persona is somewhat of a Renaissance man.

“He just helps [the main characters] Emery and Roman through a lot of different situations,” the 24-year-old extroverted, yet unassuming actor explained, whose openness lends itself to organic conversation, “and he moves forward swiftly as opposed to putting too much weight on it.”

With a “man-of-many-talents” appeal, fans may be surprised to know that Makin Jr. and his current character share some similar sensibilities. The Hawaii-born actor, who spent time in Germany as a child, mirrors his on-screen character when it comes to having passion projects and a broad range of interests that fit into an ever-expanding repertoire. His globetrotting upbringing (due to his father’s military service) exposed him to the performing arts including singing, dancing and gymnastics.

“A long time ago, I actually had watched it [gymnastics] on TV when we used to live in Germany… I would play in the street and try to do cartwheels in the street,” said Makin Jr., whose love for the sport is still alive.

But his passion also burns strongly in another area: acting. Years after securing a lead role in his first musical, The 1940’s Radio Hour at 17-years-old, the thriving thespian attended the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts. He kept a foothold in the dancing and gymnast world with a job as a New York Knicks Acroback Tumbler and a WNBA NY Liberty dancer before relocating to Los Angeles to professionally pursue entertainment full-time.

Following his success on FOX’s musical comedy-drama Glee and his most current role in Star-Crossed, Makin Jr. shared his musings with GALO about his past and present characters and his evolving music career.

GALO: Your character, Lukas, on the freshly minted series Star-Crossed is very much a multidimensional jack-of-all-trades: a tech-savvy problem solver, knowledgeable guide through navigating high school, and a sweet gentleman that can hand out compliments for days. He seems best known as Emery’s witty and unassuming best friend, who can dissect any situation with humor. What are some of Lukas’ best qualities, and what made this an imperative role for you?

TM: Some of his best qualities are a lot that you have already mentioned. I feel like, in a nutshell, he is really a great person. He’s like really accepting of the Atrians and the humans coexisting. He really thinks that it’s a beautiful thing and people should embrace it, so that’s a great quality. Also, he’s very lighthearted with situations. He tries to make the best of each situation and he doesn’t take it too heavy. And he just helps [main characters] Emery and Roman through a lot of different situations, and moves forward swiftly as opposed to putting too much weight on it.

GALO: Speaking of imperative things, Star-Crossed can be summarized as a sci-fi drama punctuated by a teenage romance and otherworldly ideas. However, on a deeper level, the show also underscores “the others” concept. The writers tackle a cultural clash between aliens and humans, shining a light on intolerance. We see that some characters are okay with abasing the alien Atrians, while others want to be a champion for their liberation. What’s Lukas’ viewpoint on this case of ethnic relations? Is he pro-Atrian?

TM: We’ve come to learn in a recent episode that Lukas is pro-Atrian. He definitely stands for both sides, and doesn’t think there are any problems with them coexisting. He doesn’t see why it’s problematic with all the people who are having hate groups toward each other with the Red Hawks and the other side [the Trags.] He has an understanding standpoint.

GALO: The Atrians have had a seemingly hardscrabble life since crash landing on Earth. Though considered anomalies, they have very peculiar abilities like having two hearts and being able to heal humans. Out of curiosity, what supernatural ability would Lukas most like to have if he suddenly became an Atrian?

TM: If Lukas was an Atrian, I would create a power that they didn’t have. My Atrian self would have teleportation. It’s a little far-fetched, but I think Lukas the Atrian would be able to teleport; it would be amazing.

GALO: If you let your imagination run wild for a minute and you suddenly found yourself as a writer on the series, what would be your creative and dynamic physical description of the Atrians?

TM: Meredith Averill and the whole writing team do a great job with the believability, so it’s not too far-fetched of what aliens, as these crazy things from another planet, would be. It’s like they are almost human, but they have a few different things [because of] being raised in a different environment, where their bodies had to cope with different things. The only thing I would go for, because I think this is really fun, is where they were a different color. I think it would be fun to have different-colored beings. I love that they look human and they just have these markings; I feel like that makes it a lot more believable with sci-fi. But a different color and some human features would be fun, if possible.