MONTAUK, NY — He may be just 7 years old, but Montauk’s Francisco Gabriel Estrella, a second grader at the Montauk Public School, has always had a dream, telling his mother, “I want to be in pictures.'”
But, said his proud mom, Cynthia Neat, her son initially meant he wanted only to be a model — until his first-ever paid assignment landed him a high-profile commercial during Sunday’s Super Bowl and had him re-thinking his career options. Her little boy had a change of heart, she explained. “He said, ‘Mom, maybe I’d like to do a movie now.'”
Francisco was the star of the CBS Sports “Dream Big” Super Bowl LIII commercial, during which a small boy falls asleep while watching sports and sees himself soaring to victory in a series of high-profile events. “Dream big, kid,” the announcer says, in the commercial. “Dream big.”
The subsequent whirlwind of fame following the commercial has left the child non-plussed, still very much a humble, caring little boy who loves sports and playing with his wrestling toys.
But his parents, Neat and his father Francisco Estrella and sister Ariana, 13, could not be more proud.
Describing what led up to the big day, Neat said her son had always wanted to model, so she brought him to Tower Talent in Melville, where he took classes, learning to walk and pose. After about three weeks, they were told about an audition for Noveaux Talent Management in New York City, Neat said.
“They loved him and soon after, I got an email saying they’d love to sign him with the team,” she said.
A few weeks later, Neat said, a call came in about an audition in New York; she and her son headed in for the appointment, which lasted about 15 minutes, and then were told that they wanted to see him again the next day.
Even though Neat said she informed everyone that her son had no prior experience, none of that mattered.
“We were told, ‘This is going to be big,'” Neat said. “We had no idea what ‘big’ meant, and then they told us this was for the Super Bowl.”
Francisco filmed the spot during a two-day shoot at Parlay Studios in Jersey City, and her son settled into his new starring role with ease. “He was like a pro,” Neat said. “Believe me, if you didn’t know my son, you’d be like, ‘He’s been doing this for awhile.’ They told me, ‘He’s just a natural,'” Neat said.
All involved were extremely kind to her son, who particularly liked craft services — he asked for mac and cheese and was thrilled with the candy and chips on the set, with staff even bringing him extra Doritos when he said he loved them. “The crew was unbelievable,” Neat said. “All the girls that helped with his clothes said, ‘He’s so easy to work with — and he’s so cute,'” she added.
Francisco, she said, is bubbling with personality and loves to dance or speak in Spanish, anything that’s asked of him.
His family, Neat said, is thrilled about Francisco’s brush with fame. “I still feel that way, every time I look at the commercial. I look at it every chance I get.” She laughed. “He’s had enough of me watching it. He says, ‘Mom, how many times are you going to look at this?”
The first few times the spot aired on Super Bowl Sunday, Neat said, they missed the commercial, because they were attending mass. But later, during the half time show, they were glued to the TV, and her friends, she said, started calling and messaging her on Facebook. “They went crazy!” she said.
Back at school on Monday, Neat said administrators and students alike were waiting to welcome her boy.
But Francisco has remained the same little boy he was before his big moment in the spotlight, she said: “He’s so humble, and they love him even more because of the way he is. He comes from a humble family.”
And it’s a close family, who share immense pride at Francisco’s accomplishment.
His dad, Neat said, was overjoyed, seeing his boy on the screen. “He was very, very excited. He was speechless — a dad, looking at his son, saying, ‘Wow,'” she said.
Francisco’s sister Ariana is “loving it — loving the attention her brother is getting,” Neat said.
Even her niece sent a text, saying how Francisco, even though he’s only 7, had inspired her youngest daughter, who is also pursuing a career in acting. “She was hesitant at first when they gave her the first commercial to do but now she’s really blossomed and wants to do more. Then she saw Francisco in his commercial and she is now more confident she can do this!” the text said.
As for Francisco, he’s back to playing sports after school, with Little League practice on Saturdays, playing with his wrestling toys — and doing what he loves best, spending time with his dog Max.
“I’m so proud of him — and I love that he’s just the same little kid,” Neat said.
The one thing Francisco is hoping his brush with fame might bring, she said, is the chance to meet Ellen DeGeneres, his favorite celebrity. “He loves Ellen DeGeneres,” she said. “I told him if you ever meet her, she might make you dance, and he said, ‘I don’t care, Mom, I just want to meet her.'” Her son, she added, loves The Ellen Show — which she has to pause, so she can go pick him up from school; he comes home and immediately heads to watch. “He thinks she’s really funny,” she said.
Despite the sprinkling of fame and stardust, the Super Bowl experience hasn’t changed the routine in their Montauk home, Neat said.
“This hasn’t changed him, or us,” Neat said. “Our family’s the same. Our kids are very close to me, and to their daddy, hugging us, sitting on our laps. I try to teach them to be humble. He sees his mom and dad working. We’ve taught them that nothing comes to you by doing nothing.”
The essential message of the commercial has left a forever imprint on her son’s heart and mind, Neat said.
“I want my kids to believe they can do things in life — that anything is possible,” Neat said.
Neat, who is originally from Chile, and her husband, who has roots in Puerto Rico but was born in the United States, said both try to instill a deep respect for their heritage in their children — and discuss with them issues in the world today, including the debate over a wall at the border, which the kids have learned about in school, too.
“I want them to believe that anything’s possible, even though they read the news, see how some people knock the Spanish — and they’re half Spanish,” she said.
That’s why the most important words came from her own little boy, when he was discussing his commercial, called “Dream Big,” she said. “To him, that was very important, something he feels in his heart,” she said. “He said, ‘I’m dreaming big.'”
Patch photos courtesy Cynthia Neat.