Antonio Cipriano Breaks Down National Treasure: Edge of History

National Treasure: Edge of History introduces Antonio Cipriano as Oren Bradley, one of a new generation of treasure hunters. Set in the same universe, 15 years after the National Treasure movies starring Nicolas Cage, Disney+’s new TV series has the same brand of global adventure that made the films wildly popular.

Oren joins Jess Valenzuela (Lisette Olivera) in a hunt for an ancient treasure tied to the Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas. Of course, treasure hunting is no picnic for Jess, Oren, and their friends, Liam (Jake Austin Walker), Tasha (Zuri Reed), and Ethan (Jordan Rodrigues). A rival faction led by Billie Pearce (Catherine Zeta-Jones) also wants the hidden prize and riches.

Related: Details Hint National Treasure: Edge Of History Is About Montezuma’s Gold

Screen Rant had the pleasure of interviewing Antonio Cipriano about joining the National Treasure universe, working with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Justin Bartha, who returns as Riley Poole, if Nicolas Cage will be in season 2, and whether or not he would steal the Declaration of Independence.

Antonio Cipriano Talks About National Treasure: Edge of History

Screen Rant: I’ve got to ask this question since this is National Treasure. Would you steal the Declaration of Independence?

Antonio Cipriano: Oh, that’s a very good question. You know, I don’t know if I would be able to do it. I’m very much like Oren. I don’t think I would be able to do that by myself. But if my friends needed my help, maybe I would. I would do what’s wrong in order to do what’s right.

Yes, perfect quote. I feel like it’d be easy to do now since Nicolas Cage showed us how it’s done. Although, it’s also been like 20 years, so maybe they changed the security. Maybe it’s much harder now.

Antonio Cipriano: But honestly, I always wonder with these kinds of movies, especially like [National Treasure], how much can be real and how much has to be run by big government to see if it’s [possible]? Just because that gives people an idea. You know, that’s kind of like, “Oh, don’t tell them everything. Don’t tell them how to do it.”

Yeah, it’s so true. Is all this stuff about how the Library of Congress works actually based on real stuff?

Antonio Cipriano: It’s crazy. It’s crazy.

If you did become a treasure hunter, like your character, and you guys found crazy treasure, would you split it evenly? Or do you keep it all for yourself like Sean Bean would?

Antonio Cipriano: Oh, I would for sure split evenly, I think. Especially [with] the cast that we have. They’re like all my best friends now. So, no trouble splitting that evenly with them.

Were you a fan of the National Treasure movies before you got cast in the show?

Antonio Cipriano: Oh, yeah. I mean, it was always a movie that we would watch as a family. Growing up, you’re like, “Oh, that’s such a great movie.” My dad was a big history buff. [He’d] watch the History Channel all the time.

First of all, it’s an incredible movie. And it still stands to this day, which is crazy. You can’t say that for a lot of movies. You watch as a kid, [you think] “It’s amazing.” [But] you rewatch it as an adult, you’re like, “Huh, just not my cup of tea anymore.” But National Treasure is one of those [movies] that will stand forever, I think. And I yeah, I was a huge fan of it. Just such an honor to be a part of it. Truly.

In National Treasure: Edge of History, you play Oren, a new character to the universe. How would you describe him? And what is it about Oren that you enjoy playing?

Antonio Cipriano: Love that question. Getting to create the character, I was able to put a lot of myself into him, but there’s also some things that I wouldn’t probably do in my world. But Oren is kind of a goofball. He always goes into things with the best of intentions. Whether those are received in the way he intended are not always correct. But he loves so hard. He loves all of his friends. He really steps up big for Jess and really tries to help her out. And he’s a big cheerleader in the group.

There’s a scene in episode 2 where he just went through this very traumatic experience. And he kind of is like, “You know what? That really fired me up! I’m behind [Jess]. I’m ready to make this thing happen.” And I think that really triggers Jess. She’s like, “You know what, let’s do this. Let’s make this happen. Let’s do it because I’ve got my friend supporting me now. Let’s see if we can actually make something happen here.” And I love that about him. I love that he’s very open to try new things. And he’s got this really somewhat concerning knowledge of conspiracy theories. It does eventually help the group in some ways throughout the show. And it’s been very fun to play that.

I like that the show is an ensemble about a group of friends who become treasure hunters. And Oren gets a lot of the funny lines and gets to be the irreverent one. Do you have a favorite line or a joke that Oren gets to say?

Antonio Cipriano: Actually, this is my favorite line so far. [In] episode two, when he’s doing the scene where he’s kind of fired up. It was just after this crazy thing, and he gets up, and he’s like, “You know what? We should be scrappier. Zig when she zags. It’ll be fun.” And he gets all excited. And he’s pacing, and he’s like, “Guys, what’s our next move? What’s your next move?” And she’s like, “Weren’t you just traumatized?” I’m like, “Fair. Yes. I was. But am I still sweating in spots I’d rather not think about? Not sure why I shared that.” I think that’s one of my favorite lines. Because he’s just like, what are you saying, dude? That doesn’t make any sense. But yeah, he just he gets so excited. And he says these random things all the time. And I love it.

Speaking of traumatized, Catherine Zeta-Jone plays Billie, one of the villains in the show. Before Oren even knows what’s happening, she kind of gets her claws into him. What was it like working with Catherine Zeta-Jones?

Antonio Cipriano: Oh, she was such a joy. It’s Catherine Zeta-Jones. She’s huge, and she comes on the set and just carries herself in such an amazing manner, and treats everybody was so much kindness and respect. And it was such a pleasure working with her, even for the short amount of time that we did get to work together. I learned so much. And she’s the sweetest. And throughout the season when I would see her again. I’m like, “Hey, how’re you doing? Good to see you again.” We didn’t get to work together much but the time that we did, she was wonderful.

Justin Bartha from the movies guest stars in the show in season 1. I feel like Riley and Oren would be like a perfect pair bantering with each other. Did you get to work with him?

Antonio Cipriano: Yes, we did in episode 4. He came back, and it was an amazing experience. Yeah, there’s such a funny part of the show where I even said that I feel like Oren would really be a fan of his. And you see it in all of the episodes pretty much leading up to episode four, where he’s got Riley Poole’s book, and he [says], “Your grandpa’s the redacted FBI agent in Riley Poole’s podcast.” So Oren is a fan of Riley Poole in the world that we live in. Ore listens to Riley Poole’s podcast, reads his book, and everything. He’s a fan of him. And I think that was so cool to play when he actually came on the show. We didn’t get many moments together. But when we did it was fun. And awesome.

You’re obviously a fan of the movies. You’re now part of the TV universe. It’s all one giant shared universe. And what do you think is the best thing about being in the National Treasure universe?

Antonio Cipriano: Obviously, getting to be a treasure hunter on screen. I mean, it really is like a dream come true. As a kid, you were like, Okay, you can be in Star Wars and be a treasure hunter. That’s like the coolest thing ever. You get to hunt for long-lost treasure. So that, obviously, and also just being a part of the family that this franchise has brought together. Even just working with the Wibberleys is such an honor. And [for] them to be such down-to-earth, sweet humans and collaborative with us. And even the fact that they are open to hearing what we have to say or what we feel about our characters is the biggest honor I could ever ask for. Just being a part of this family is everything, truly.

I’ve got to ask also about Nicolas Cage. He’s not in season 1, but Benjamin Gates gets mentioned a few times. Maybe season 2? What do you think?

Antonio Cipriano: I mean, of course, [we] would love to have Nicolas Cage in it. His character is so iconic. And he plays a big role in this even if his face isn’t in it. He’s still Ben Gates, he’s still the character. His presence is very known. And obviously, we would love to have him. We would love to have everybody from the movies come in and be a part of it because it is still the same universe and there are endless possibilities. 100%.

You come from a musical theater background, and you’ve also been on Broadway. I know Jake plays a singer on the show. Should there be a full-on National Treasure musical episode?

Antonio Cipriano: It’s so funny because that was like the biggest conversation we had throughout the entire season. Because Zuri was also on Broadway as well. She was in Lion King when she was like 10. And Jordan was in Lion King in Australia, and he played young Simba. So you have a very musical cast. Lisette is an insane dancer, Jordan is an amazing dancer. I mean, it’s bound to happen that we have a musical episode. I would love that. I would love nothing more.

About National Treasure: Edge of History

Jess Valenzuela’s life is turned upside down when an enigmatic stranger gives her a clue to a centuries-old treasure that might be connected to her long-dead father. Jess has a knack for solving puzzles, and her skills are put to the test as she and her friends follow a series of clues hidden in American artifacts and landmarks. But can Jess outsmart a black-market antiquities dealer in a race to find history’s greatest lost treasure and unbury the truth about her family’s past?

Check out our other interviews with the National Treasure: Edge of History cast here:

Next: Will Nicolas Cage Be In National Treasure: Edge of History?

The first 2 episodes of National Treasure: Edge of History are now streaming on Disney+.