Perea was discovered by a talent manager at a skating convention in
Las Vegas, who asked him to audition for a movie. Although he did not get the role, it eventually led to his first gig years later. Perea began his acting career playing Alfonso "French" Sosa on the
Netflix mystery drama series
The OA. He continued in this role from 2016 to the show's cancellation in 2019. He also had his first minor movie role in the 2016 comedy drama
Dance Camp, which was released onto
Youtube Red. In 2022, he was cast as Romy Faith in the drama
The Faith of Long Beach, set to be directed by Eric Amadio. As of 2024, the film is still in pre-production and unclear if it will continue. Perea got his breakout role in 2022 with
Jordan Peele's American
western science fiction horror film,
Nope. His co-stars included
Daniel Kaluuya,
Keke Palmer, and
Steven Yeun. Peele originally wrote the character of Angel Torres as a "happy-go-lucky" geek-like character until Perea was cast as the character, who wanted to expand upon the character and portray him as more grounded. Peele, who found Perea's audition portrayal more compelling, altered and expanded the script to create a larger character for him. Perea was praised for his performance, being named a "scene stealer" for his comedic relief and depth.
Screen Rant's Ben Kendrick called his portrayal of Angel Torres a "stand-out" among the supporting cast. The performance earned him a selection as a Breakthrough Artist at the 2022
BAFTA's. In 2024, Perea portrayed
tornado wrangler Boone in the summer
blockbuster Twisters, a stand-alone sequel to the
1996 film. He starred alongside
Daisy Edgar-Jones,
Glen Powell, and
Anthony Ramos. He also had a small role in the 2024
horror suspense film
Amp House Massacre, playing Niko. He is set to appear in
Kogonada's romantic fantasy film A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, alongside
Margot Robbie and
Colin Farrell. The film is to release September 19, 2025. == Personal life ==