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Meeting Cole Sibus for the first time , it will be immediately evident that he is an extrovert . His effervescent personality cascades throughout a conversation , humour seamlessly interwoven , eliciting frequent bouts of laughter from conversation partners . Witty , charming , fun-loving , daring , eager to try new things , compassionate and quite the conversationalist , Cole is a son , brother , athlete and actor . He also has Down syndrome , but this in no way defines him .
As an athlete , Cole enjoys a variety of sports including softball , swimming , tennis , and basketball .
His athleticism extended to his participation in the National Special Olympics as a member of the swim team , an experience which brings huge smiles to his face when recalling the experience . His was an amazing feat because he had to learn three swimming strokes in a short space of time , including the breast stroke and , he won gold ! “ It was wonderful ,” Cole said , “ and I learned a lot of my strokes by watching YouTube videos .”
Many may be familiar with the 24-year-old in his role as the young Ansel Parios , on the ABC TV show , Stumptown . In that role , he played the part of a shrewd , caring teenager with Down syndrome who was eager to be independent . He worked at a restaurant / bar run by a friend of his sister . Although she was understandably overprotective , Ansel managed to assert his independence and earned his sister ’ s respect for his ability to make decisions for himself , one that included eventually moving out !
That role is indicative of Cole ’ s real-life circumstances – he recently moved out of his family home and is enjoying his independence , in his own space away from the family , but with caring roommates who look out for him . “ It feels different , “ Cole shared , “ but it ’ s fun .” He ’ s often included in his roommates ’ social activities such as rock climbing and surfing among others . He regularly visits his parents but now has “ his own place .”
Although Stumptown was the most exciting of his acting career to date , having as a co-star , big-name actors Michael Ealy ( Detective Hoffman ), Colbie Smulders ( Dex ), Jake Johnson ( Grey ), Tantoo Cardinal ( Sue Lynn ), Adrian Martinez ( Tookie ) and Camryn Manheim ( Lieutenant Cosgrove ), Cole was already familiar with the world of acting prior to Stumptown , having starred in the 2017 reality TV show , Born this Way . This was a show about young adults with Down syndrome navigating their way through life . As he recounts how he got into acting , he laughs , “ You ’ ll love this story ,” he said . “ My sister , Lauren , did home videos and my mom made her put me in her movies .” Then I realized that I liked acting so I auditioned for Born this Way in 2017 and got the part ; then in 2018 , I auditioned for Spare Room , an independent film , and got the part , and then Stumptown !”
Cole describes his character , Ansel , as being “ kind , sweet and smart ” and he hopes people who watched the show will have learned this one fact about people with Down syndrome : “ that we have no limits ! We can do the same things typical people can do .”
Cole ’ s dream is to act in a family film with The Rock , Dwayne Johnson as his dad .