Pablo Castelblanco finds a happy place on Reba McEntire’s series

“With the whole crew, there’s like a birthday every week,” he explains. “She leads it and it sounds so amazing and then, once everyone joins in, it derails, like ‘happy birthdays’ usually do.”

While Castelblanco does sing, he doesn’t consider himself in McEntire’s league. Co-star Tokala Black Elk “has a beautiful voice” and seems most likely to wow the boss.

Castelblanco’s goal, however, wasn’t to get McEntire to turn her chair on “The Voice,” but to find his place in the entertainment industry.

Growing up in Colombia, he knew he had to come to the United States to pursue a career.

“I started doing school plays and took acting classes over the weekends,” Castelblanco says. When he talked to his parents about potential careers, they thought he might consider a life in engineering. Accounting — their profession — wasn’t in the cards. “But, in a way, I kind of made their dreams come true — just on TV.”

On “Happy’s Place,” he plays Steve, the bar’s accountant, and no, he’s not a whiz with numbers. “I’m good with numbers that are normal, but I wouldn’t be able to do tax accounting for anybody.”

Castelblanco got his bachelor’s degree from AMDA College of the Performing Arts and landed guest roles in several series before netting a series regular role in “Alaska Daily.”

“We shot that show in Vancouver,” he says, “but seeing a single-camera show is not very fun.” A multi-camera series like “Happy’s Place” has an audience, and that’s more appealing to folks who aren’t in the business. His parents came to see a taping, and “they had a blast. I think that was the moment they were like, ‘We finally get it. We got to see it happening.’”

Now, there’s the likelihood that “Happy’s Place” could run for years. Castelblanco would like to stay with it as long as he can. “This is one of the best gigs you could ever have,” he says. Writing and directing could be possible, but “I haven’t decided which one yet, so I need to decide for myself and then put my cards into what I would like to do.”

Since he recently bought a new home, the young actor has been soliciting advice from his co-stars. McEntire is always a good source. She reminded him about insurance, for example, and demonstrated the value of friendship.

She and co-star Melissa Peterman have grown into lifelong friends since first appearing together on “Reba.” But that bond isn’t exclusive, Castelblanco says. “People always ask about their relationship and my favorite thing is they opened it up to all of us when we started. It’s not like we were on the outside looking in. We were part of it. The magic of why they work so well together is because they’re gracious and open and welcoming to ideas.”

Castelblanco knew about “Reba” when he was in Colombia, but wasn’t all that familiar with McEntire’s musical career. When he got to the United States, the music became a part of his life. Now, he’s a big Reba fan.

“I love being on a show with a strong woman as the lead,” he says. “I knew I belonged here.”