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The actor who plays Ben on The Umbrella Academy kept the show a secret from his family

19 February 2019, 17:46

By Nicky Idika

Justin H. Min had to keep Ben aka Number 6 under wraps and was pretty much sworn to secrecy by Netflix.

The Umbrella Academy is already a strong contender for one of the best new shows on Netflix this year. Between the slow reveal of Vanya's powers and that incredible ending, season 2 of The Umbrella Academy couldn't come fast enough. All the sibling relationships were fascinating, however, Klaus (Robert Sheehan) and Ben (Justin H. Min) were a dynamic duo for the ages.

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Can't live with him, can't live without him. Literally. Thanks for always keeping me laughing during our one-too-many 3 AM shoots. Love you like a brother. Literally. #4️⃣6️⃣ #umbrellaacademy

A post shared by Justin H. Min (@justinmin) on Feb 16, 2019 at 8:42am PST

Who plays Ben in The Umbrella Academy? - Number 6

Justin H. Min has appeared on Faking It and C.S.I: Cyber, but when he got the role of Ben on The Umbrella Academy, the actor was apparently sworn to secrecy.

In a recent Instagram post, Justin revealed that landing the show was "the biggest secret" he ever had to keep. Ben was so under wraps that friends and family thought Justin was "taking a semester abroad" in Toronto.

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To the biggest secret I've ever had to keep; to my friends and family who thought I was "taking a semester abroad" last year — in Toronto, Canada, no less; to my manager @joshuapasch, who, in November 2017, called to tell me I'd booked the most exciting gig of my career, only to add, "But we still have no idea who you are."; to the elation I felt upon hearing I'd be one of the Hargreeves, only to discover that all of the siblings had been cast, with the exception of...more on that later; to Netflix and their marketing team who very kindly let me know that, if anyone was to find out about my involvement with the show, I'd be fired, found, and killed; to the many, many codenames used to conceal my character's identity — Miller, Jerry, Jake, someone was calling me Rebecca at one point. - And finally, to No. 6, Ben Hargreeves: The boy who died but maybe lived. Maybe. Everyone, please go watch The Umbrella Academy, now available around the world on @netflix. Sending love from the grave. #🕕 #umbrellaacademy

A post shared by Justin H. Min (@justinmin) on Feb 15, 2019 at 8:09am PST

Justin shared a photo of his trailer door with the name "Jake" on it. According to his caption, there were "many, many" codenames used to hide the fact that he was playing Ben, aka Number 6. "Miller, Jerry, Jake, someone was calling me Rebecca at one point."

Netflix Ben. Picture: Netflix/Screenshot

Netflix also apparently warned him to keep his involvement a secret. "To Netflix and their marketing team who very kindly let me know that, if anyone was to find out about my involvement with the show, I'd be fired, found, and killed," Justin joked on Instagram.

We're guessing that the secrecy has to do with the fact that Ben's story is hugely expanded upon in the show. Ben often acts as Klaus' voice of reason and he even saves his siblings more than once. Ben has quickly become a fan favourite on the show, with many viewers hoping that Number 6 somehow turns out to be alive-ish.

Justin also shared some behind the scenes photos of his onscreen siblings. It's official, the Hargreeves family are our faves.