Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Angela Aiello. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Angela, thanks for joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

My earliest form of learning the craft of acting came from memorizing movie dialogue with my brother in our living room. We would fully act out our favorite movies, committing to every scene and character. I always knew that that was what I wanted to do with my life.

Later of course, came more formal training. My first acting classes came from Connie Canaday Howard and Amelia Barrett at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, a suburb of Chicago. In my opinion, they were everything acting teachers should be-supportive without being coddling, constructive without being harsh, and constant sources of encouragement and the idea that with hard work and determination, anything is possible. From them I learned acting building blocks that I carry with me to this day. These include starting work on every scene with identifying your “fighting for” and reflecting on your “moment before.” They also instilled in me that without a sense of professionalism, talent can only go so far. Punctuality, and respecting company’s members’ time and talents were non negotiable to Connie and Amelia. For that, I thank them. Any praise I have ever received as an actor can be traced back to their exceptional training.

While training as an actor is of course important, I also think it’s crucial to get non acting related, *life* experience as well. Prior to graduating college, my life was pretty school- centric, and I didn’t really have friends who were outside of the artistic community. After graduating with my BA in acting from Illinois State University, I began working as a waitress and substitute teacher. What a way to shake up my bubble! Both jobs exposed me to situations and people I never had been around before. It’s one thing to dissect a fictional character in an acting class who is going through a dire situation. It’s entirely another to see it first hand. Both jobs gave me such insight into human interaction and behavior that you simply cannot learn in a classroom.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a Mexican/Sicilian, Californian born actor currently living in Chicago. I have had the pleasure of working in many different capacities as an actor- stage, print, music videos, short films, commercials, and more. I am proudly represented by Vilma Llaguno/Dream Team Talent.

Most recently, I attended the Hollywood premiere of horror comedy Room Tone at the prestigious Dances with Films Independent Film Festival. In Room Tone, I played Annette, a reality star whose film set descends into gorey, hilarious chaos. The film was met with critical acclaim, and went on to win an Emmy for our amazing director, Michael Gabriele. Additionally, last fall I played the role of Eva in Rick Najera’s Sweet Fifteen Chicago premiere.

Telling stories is my most favorite thing to do, and that is how I approach any project. Additionally, I love beauty/makeup and enjoy recreating movie/red carpet looks on my Instagram, @angela.aiello. My highest viewed video ever is on TikTok, where I recreated a Sophia Loren look.

Because of my theatre background, I think one of my biggest strengths when it comes to creating is making the absolute best use of what I have. When recreating a look, I try to purchase as little as possible, and instead make do with what I have available. I have found that limited resources often make for the most creative solutions, and ultimately result in much more interesting end products. This can also apply to acting. In theatre, there is no one to call cut if something goes amiss. So in a way, you have to make do with what you have to keep the scene afloat. I tend to use this principle when I am acting on camera as well. Unless something goes extremely wrong, I try to stay in character during on camera mishaps, because you never know what fun thing could be captured that otherwise wouldn’t have had “Cut!” been called.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I think for me that is a two fold answer-1. Surprising myself with what I can do when I set my mind to it, and 2. Allowing my audience to see themselves in my work.

Both of these can be illustrated in a play I got to work on last year called Sweet Fifteen, written and directed by Broadway’s Rick Najera. Sweet Fifteen tells the tale of Eddy Valderrama, a father and husband who abandoned his family right before his daughter’s quinceanera. Seven years later he’s back, and wants to make it up to her by throwing the greatest belated quince the world has ever known. It’s a hilarious, heartfelt script that includes audience participation and lots of fun.

I was brought on thirteen days before opening to play the role of Eva, Eddy’s estranged wife. It had been a few years since I had done theatre, as I have mostly been focused on film recently. That, coupled with the fact that I had so little time to prepare for one of the lead roles was very daunting to me. But I took on the challenge. I worked harder in those thirteen days than I probably ever have on a role. I put my heart and soul into it, and coupled with Rick’s skillful direction, I think I put out some of the most grounded, truthful work I have ever done. I am immensely proud of the work we all did on that show, and I’m so glad I took the jump and didn’t let fear stop me from taking the role. It’s an opportunity for which I will always be grateful. Rick, who has been with his script for years, paid me a great compliment, saying that my performance as Eva was one of the, “Most heartfelt and real (he) had seen.”

Sweet Fifteen received absolutely glowing reviews from our audiences, and a common remark was how relatable the script/story was. I am not necessarily someone who is always perceived as being outwardly Latina. But there is no one way to appear Mexican. Mexican culture is beautiful and we all come in different shapes, sizes, and colors. Being Mexican is something of which I am profoundly proud. So helping tell a story that was relatable to a Latin audience with an all Hispanic cast and crew was very special to me. I hope to tell more stories that serve as a reflection to both my Mexican and Italian heritages.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

My last semester of school before graduating with my BA in acting, our class was instructed to make “Career timelines.” I believe there was a three year, five year, and ten year plan for us to plot out. Now, I don’t think there is anything wrong with planning and having goals/milestones in mind. And of course that assignment was meant as a guideline, and not an oracle predicting your future down to the minute.

However, I think that sometimes those types of outlines can inadvertently cause a bit of shame if you don’t find yourself hitting those milestones according to your desired timeline. It’s good to plan ahead and set goals. But don’t let looking to the future keep you from experiencing your present.

Something I’ve been working on unlearning is that there is a “correct” course your career should follow. And in the time of social media, it’s never been easier to compare your course to others’. Seeing a peer hit goals you’ve been working on can be difficult. And as actors in a competitive industry, we often see each other as the competition. We’re told in acting classes, “This is a competitive field…..it’s competitive…..you always have to bring your A game.” And while that is true, something I have also been working on unlearning is viewing peers as competition and instead as inspiration. If they can do it, then so can I! I saw a post recently that said, “It’s not a competition, nobody has your assignment” I like the idea of you only being in competition with yourself and that nothing that is meant for you will ever, ever miss you.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @angela.aiello
• Other: TikTok: @angela.aiello

Image Credits
Nancy Vela