Some things were just meant to be. Can you imagine Troy Bolton as anyone other than Zac Efron or Alex Russo played by Demi Lovato instead of Selena Gomez? That’s the kind of magic that happened with Asher Angel when he first auditioned for Andi Mack. Being Jonah Beck has been a whirlwind for the Arizona-raised actor. Even when he’s not playing the ultimate frisbee team captain, Asher is recognized.

“We had a meet and greet [in Arizona] and it was just amazing to have fans that fly in from, like, Michigan,” he told us. “From, like, all over the place. They just come to see you for, like, 45 minutes. I try to keep so much attention because I wouldn’t be where I am without them.”

For only having one season, Andi Mack fans are already super dedicated to the cast. But there’s one other thing that helped Asher gain popularity as Jonah Beck – landing the role!

“I mean, I first auditioned for Cyrus [Joshua Rush‘s character] but that isn’t really me,” Asher told J-14. “That’s more Josh. Then, I went out for Jonah.”

And it’s a good thing he did! Asher and Jonah Beck are surprisingly similar. Some of the qualities the two share are the things Asher most admires about his character.

“He can be really thoughtful and sensitive,” he admitted. “He’s really outgoing. I would say I’m pretty outgoing.”

Throughout Season 1 of Andi Mack, we’ve seen Jonah grow a lot as a person, but he never stopped being a great friend. That’s why Asher Angel loves playing him just as much as we love watching him. There is one thing that Asher thinks he’ll never have in common with his character: a mean girlfriend! He wouldn’t let his girlfriend be rude to his friends and would probably fix the situation faster than Jonah Beck did. Asher feels like “Jonah can be very oblivious” and that’s just not him.

Friendship is really important to Asher. It’s clear through how close the Andi Mack cast is. They have a sleepover tradition, go to the movies together, and, of course, spend all day on set hanging out. Even though they’re working together all the time, Asher still can’t get enough of his best friends.

“I can’t imagine a different cast,” he says. “Even in our off days. We’re working for three weeks together, we get one day off, and when we come back we still miss each other.”

That’s especially true for his relationship with Peyton Elizabeth Lee, who plays Andi Mack. In the show, these two characters have a rocky relationship, but Asher says they’re “really, really close” in reality. “She knows, like, literally, everything about me,” he gushes.

Before you get any ideas about a romantic #Pasher (Peyton and Asher, duh) relationship, Asher doesn’t see that happening IRL. He even said “She’s like my sister!” which might be even cuter!

Just because they don’t date in real life, doesn’t mean Andi Mack and Jonah Beck are doomed to be friends forever. We’ll just have to wait and see. We’ve already seen a sneak peek of the first episode, where Jonah asks Andi to stay behind so they can talk. Will Andi and Jonah finally start dating? Or will Bowie propose to Bex? There’s just so much happening that we can’t even keep track! Catch up on Andi Mack and then watch the Season 2 premiere on Disney Channel on October 27, 2017.

Watch: Asher Angel Reveals Four Things You Didn’t Know About Him

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