The Umbrella Academy has always been personal for David Castaeda. For the better half a decade, the actor has starred as Diego Hargreeves in the series that became one of Netflixs most-streamed shows in 2019.

Based on the Dark Horse comic series by Gerard Way and Gabriel B, and created by Steve Blackman and Jeremy Slater, Umbrella Academy follows an endearingly dysfunctional sextet of adopted siblings, each with their own superpowers, all on a mission to save the world from imminent apocalypse. Season four, released Thursday, is the shows final installment. As Castaeda now looks back on the body of work, he cant help but feel like hes looking back at himself. When I started season one, I was highly insecure and really trying to prove myself, Castaeda says. Still early in his career, no one his family had ever worked in entertainment. I really walked in the dark, figuring it out by myself.

In season one, Castaedas Diego had a similar chip on his shoulder. Gutted by the abandonment of his wily and mysterious father (played by Colm Feore) and armed with an ability to manipulate thrown objects and knives, he filled the void with a vigilante saviorism that no one really asked for. He took himself way too seriously, he wouldnt ask for help and he pushed back against all criticism.

It [was] more so about, Im only doing this because this is what my dad told me not to do,' Castaeda says.

It wasnt necessarily the specifics that Castaeda related to, but the attitude. When I was in my mid-to-late 20s, I thought I knew everything because I was deeply afraid of not knowing anything, he says. Now 34, I dont know anything, and Im ok with that. It opens up to a curiosity and to understanding other things, and being surprised.

David Castaneda as Diego Hargreeves and Tom Hopper as Luther Hargreeves in Netflixs The Umbrella Academy. Courtesy of Netflix He adds, I think Diego had sort of the same issues.

In season four, the Umbrella Academy siblings have lost their powers as a result of a last-ditch effort to save the universe in season three. Stagnating without any sense of exceptionalism, theyve settled into sluggish patterns of failed domesticity. Diego and Lila (Ritu Arya) are married, and share a child. Hes trying to be a normal dad and a husband, and hes failing.

From Castaedas perspective, Diego has latched onto this idea that being a family man prevents him from achieving his greater good. His idea of what it is to be a man and a father and a husband doesnt come from a very natural state of being.

Again, things got personal for Castaeda. A lot of men that I know are married, some are very successful, some are not, he says. As he prepared for season four, the actor started thinking about who I am, how I represent myself as a partner, as a man who searches for intimacy with someone else. Diego tends to be withheld on his potential, and he places it on other people that are close to him, like a sort of resentment of feeling responsibility.

At the same time, Castaeda had done some growing up himself since season one. I didnt have that chip [on my shoulder], he says, so he was able to make fun of myself and not take myself as seriously, and in that process, enjoy it much, much more.

The result meant a different preparatory process for season four. I was able to apply a different way of working where it wasnt just script analysis, but it was more so dreamwork, he says. Tapping into the subconscious of my own self.

David Castaeda Storm Santos He also continued to learn from those around him. Nick Offerman and real-life wife Megan Mullally joined this seasons cast as Gene and Jean, the married and murderous leaders of a clandestine association who predict an upcoming reckoning. Yet, despite their bloody tactics, Castaeda was endeared by the new characters.

Gene and Jean had a relationship that felt so healthy, even though they were doing really messy things, he says. Its true despite a rather maniacal way of life, their love for one another seems to come much more naturally than Diego and Lilas ever does. Whenever I had an opportunity to be around them, it was almost looking at two relationship counselors, Castaeda says.

Plus, he adds, Offerman and Mullally were a delight made even better by the revelation that the duo requested to join the show after becoming ardent fans. That was amazing, Castaeda says.

Outside of his personal journey, anticipation for Umbrella Academys season four release hit an unfortunate bump in the road earlier this summer, when a Rolling Stone report accused showrunner Blackman of fostering a hostile workplace on set. Blackmans representative later told THR the claims were entirely untrue.

I dont know much, Castaeda says when asked about the back and forth. What I do know is my own experience. Hes been phenomenal. I can only speak from a singular experience with myself, and who hes been with me. Since 2018, hes been nothing short of just a really caring mentor.

Now closing Umbrella Academys doors, Castaeda feels in part like a student whos just finished his last final exam. At the shows junket two days after this interview, he compared the series four seasons to the four years of high school: Freshman, sophomore, junior senior, he said. Its time to graduate.

And whats he graduating to? Ballerina, the John Wick franchise flic that will hit theaters in 2025. Its a dream come true, Castaeda says. I had a meeting with [producer Chad Stahelski], and honestly, I was waiting for him to stop talking to say, Yes. Yes!

Umbrella Academy season four is now streaming on Netflix.