The moment she stepped onto our screens we knew she was Priscilla Lambert, from her look to her mannerisms- Briana Celia became the beloved character that gained so much respect for her strength for pulling through but who is the woman behind the character? We sat down with Ms. Celia to talk more about her experience.
Can you tell us about your experience working on Season 2?
Working on Season 2 of Fox was an utter joy! It was incredible to be a part of a project that had so many people behind it with such passion for telling the story. It was refreshing to know that even though all of us come from different backgrounds, belief systems, and life circumstances, we all managed to come together to tell this very complex, yet captivating story; and even enjoy the process! Season 2 has its fair share of serious moments, but despite this I cannot recall a filming day for which there was not any laughter or fun being had off set.
Was this your first acting project? If not, what else have you done?
Fox was not my first acting experience, but it was my first more intricate acting endeavor that involved a recurring appearance. I had a few short film credits prior to joining Season 2.
What inspired you to pursue acting?
Ever since a little girl, I have always adored the arts, particularly in the form of movement and theater. When I was younger, ballet was my love. I derived not only great pleasure from it, but also a means to express myself during a coming-of-age period where I was still learning how to do that. As I got older, I gradually shifted away from ballet, but my love for the arts had never diminished. After graduating college and doing a few volunteer projects, I experienced a resurfaced inclination towards exploring the arts. I quickly became enthralled with the expressiveness and energy of theater and eventually found myself exploring opportunities to get involved with acting.
What was your experience working with the cast and crew?
When you have nothing but positive things to say about the people that you work with, it must be indicative of a great experience. I never could have imagined having the experiences that I had prior to filming Season 2. The cast and crew members of Fox became a bit of an extended family of sorts while filming, and for someone like myself who had just moved to San Diego and can be a bit reserved at times, it was a wonderful thing. Everybody was incredibly friendly, charismatic, and supportive. Working on a project like this, especially one that requires intensity and poignancy at times, can be a bit daunting and even intimidating. At these times, everybody was there to cheer you on.
What's something new about acting that you learned that you didn't know before Fox?
I have always had a tendency to be rather black and white in my thinking and initially brought this mindset into my portrayal of Priscilla Lambert. I believed that there was only one way of portraying this character; that it could only be right or wrong. My experience working with Fox has taught me that there is very much a grey area when it comes to acting. It taught me that each person brings a unique, individual component into the roles that they play. This is because each actor internalizes or comprehends experiences and/or life circumstances differently and this manifests differently when approaching a particular role. Of course, there is always a rough layout of specific characteristics and attributes of each character, but it's the uniqueness that an actor brings to the role that makes a character come to life and highly relatable. As an acting coach once told me "Acting is all about telling a story; so don't be perfect, be ridiculous!"
She is an incredibly talented artist, but that's nothing new. What most may not be aware of is the fact that she is as down-to-earth as she is gifted. She is very intense as her job as a leader calls for, but she is also the first to console, congratulate, and be a source of support when needed.
What advice would you give to other striving actors?
Actively seek out opportunities that are different and put you out of your comfort zone. Portraying Priscilla Lambert was a huge stretch for me because the character is so very different than myself. The way she thinks and behaves, particularly some of the things she says, made me a bit uncomfortable at times to be honest. However, if I had only stuck to characters that I was comfortable with, and that I already knew I was good at, than I would have never had the opportunity to learn some of the lessons that I had along the way, and may have never received the invaluable feedback that I did. Acting is all about telling a story as honestly and believably as is possible. Stories do not only contain the heroes; the idealists; the visionaries. Each component (or in this case character) creates the whole. So go ahead and challenge yourself!
Interview by Liv Borromeo
Photos by Monroe Hayden
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