Meet Celeste Boni

Today we’d like to introduce you to Celeste Boni.

Celeste, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I guess I started my journey at birth. I was born in Switzerland to a beautiful, Italian mother (Photographer Smerakda Giannini) and a handsome, Swiss father. In the following seven years, I was given two little brothers who are the life of me, really. Growing up with my mother’s side of the family, which is gifted with creativity, was a huge blessing for me. Wanting to be an actress, I was always encouraged by my mother. I’m very thankful for her and my brothers’ support.

At about the age of six, I created a ten minute clown sketch, my very first performance. It was a very short piece that I performed at weddings and kid’s parties. Of course, I had help with the logistics and the costumes. My godfather, Paolo Fumarulo, is a famous designer in Europe and he customized my dresses so the big-belly and big-butt pillows would fit in the dress and not fall out. He’s kind of a genius, and he designs my dresses for special occasions all the time. Like I said, my mother’s side of the family is quite artistic.

After that, I started taking sports more seriously. I had a passion for ice skating and horseback riding. This consumed almost all my time until I turned 13. My family and I moved to the mountains by the border of Italy for one year, because our mom thought we should connect with nature, learn some Italian, and truly experience gratefulness. We complained a lot at first, but guess what? We have been grateful for the experience ever since.

When we came back to Dättlikon, which is the village I was raised in, I kept creating different short sketches to perform at family events, and eventually I joined an official theater group. I realized that wherever I lived, and I have lived in a lot of places, I found the best friends within the theater members. What I really appreciate is that it usually isn’t about “who’s better at something”, but about “how can we be better as an ensemble”. It seemed void of ego. People from all ages and classes of the school would gather and create.

After improving my English language skills in London, I would assist my mother during her photography sessions. This training was invaluable; learning the laws of light, and my way around the camera. I have always sought new ways to challenge myself. So I moved to China for one year to learn Mandarin. Why? Because I had secretly been taking basic Mandarin lessons for a while at that point, and I was intrigued by the beauty of its sound and structure. Therefore, I wanted to learn not only the language, but I also wanted to familiarize myself with the Chinese culture. I had only known China from what I had seen in American movies, and I felt this infinite curiosity about China and its people. So I went. I lived in Kunming, the Yunnan province, studied Mandarin and taught English to pay for rent. It was a priceless experience and shaped my outlook in many ways.

It was during that time, far away from my comfort zone, that my yearning for acting returned. The passion was alive, but I didn’t have the first clue about where to begin. I decided to go to film school, and in my research, I found one in Burbank, California, where I could earn a bachelor’s degree. The only problem was, I needed a highschool degree first. Since I have a dual citizenship, I decided to give myself another one of those beloved linguistic challenges and committed myself to a highschool in Italy. As soon as I started, I’d say I had a brutal awakening. However, with the help of great minds, I embraced the difficulties and graduated within a year. I met fantastic people there, who introduced me to the unimaginable beauties of the country, and showed me what it means to live. Leaving Italy to pursue my dreams is one of the hardest things I ever chose to do.

I moved to Burbank in 2015 with the help of my mother. The next two years flew by. After graduating from film school, I was a little lost regarding what my next steps should look like. I knew that I wanted to make an impact on the industry, but there is no set path. At first, I tried it the most common way; I found an agent and waited for castings. And waited. And waited. I felt useless. I knew I wanted to do more, and I knew I could. Sometimes, one needs an angel to lead them the right way. I only realized that that angel had patiently been waiting for me right outside the door. Knocking, from time to time. I was just too convinced that I had been doing the right thing already, to be able to recognize it.

Then, one day, hungry for work, I picked myself up, I stepped out that silly door grabbed the angel by the hand, and marched straight onto the path of big, hard growth. I’m very thankful to have a person by my side who knows the hardships and can show me a way to create without having to depend on anyone. For the past three or four months, I have been able to study the craft of actual film making from A-Z! I’m learning things, I would have never dreamed of being able to do. Such as VFX! It’s beautiful madness, and I’m actually very captured by it. The fact that I know how to make a movie doesn’t mean that I won’t act anymore. But it means that I can make my own movies. And that’s sort of really cool.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There have definitely been challenges along the road that requested a certain amount of strength and ingenuity. One significant lesson I’ve learned is that even though I want to reach my one, big goal, I need to open my eyes and accept the small, immediate jobs, and tasks I get the chance to do. As soon as I accepted that, I started growing and acquiring more skills that help me along the way. It’s not easy, but I’m positive that someday it will pay off.

I would like to be able to say that there were many struggles, but looking back at them, they seem to have worked out perfectly. I didn’t have a car for two years here, but I had a bicycle that kept me moving. I ate out a lot, and it hurt my wallet bad, but it taught me how good it is to cook at home. I dealt with emotional stress, but it made me face reality, and I’ve missed my friends and a family back home, but it made me realize and grateful for the fact that I have friends and family back home. There are pro’s to every con.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
Well as of now, I am working at the production company called Lucky Truffles. A few very talented filmmakers are part of this company. We shoot commercials for brands such as Nike, Jaybird Coffee, and Jeans. I personally assist at the shoots, act when requested, because that is what I am best at, and I edit and color the commercials along with my coworkers. Depending on the look the client prefers, We offer different directors and editors for the production.

I’m mostly known for acting in short films as of now. But I’m in the creation of a podcast right now. It is a new path I have chosen to take, and I’m quite excited about it. I’m most proud of having found my way to work. It sounds silly, but trust me, it is easy to get lost in this city. So I am proud of choosing the hard way every day and work consistently.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
That’s a tough question. I would have started creating my own art sooner. When I was at school, I was on a strict student visa which didn’t allow me to work, but it wasn’t forbidden to create my own content. And I kind of missed out on that. I would also have started learning Jiu-Jitsu earlier. It’s so much fun, de-stressing, and an amazing workout!

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/luckytruffle

Image Credit:
Rob Watt

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