Actress and model Celia Cyanide makes her debut as a Cult Siren... so we couldn't be more glad!
1) Can you share with us a bit about your background?
I am primarily an actress, but I went to school for writing. I also model, and I have directed a feature film called "Why Am I in a Box?" I am from the midwest, originally, but I currently reside in the Los Angeles area.
2) What got you interested in modelling, particularly for alternative themes?
I first started modeling because I needed photos for promotional use as an actress. I had origianlly planned to just do trade shoots and get some pretty pictures every once in a while. I didn't really think there was a future in it for me because I wasn't tall enough for fashion. After I had been shooting for a while, I was being asked to do more and more creative concepts that weren't always "cute" or "sexy," but were artistically interesting. That's how I found my niche as a model. I don't have the look for high fashion or mainstream glamour, but I am very suited to fine art and classic pinup.
3) Can you tell us how did you come by your intriguing model name?
When I was 20, I wrote a story about a fictional character in the Jim Jones cult--a little girl named Celia. It was about how she tried to stop the Jonestown Massacre by putting the cyanide into his food before he put it into the Kool-Aid and made everyone drink it. In my story, she was caught and killed for what she did, even though she was only eleven. In real life, Jim Jones stated that eleven was the age of reason, and that an eleven year old child was capable of fighting and dying. Even though she was a fictional character, I always admired her courage, and I became Celia Cyanide in honor of her.
4) You have a very extensive filmography… what were your favorite roles and what kind of characters do you prefer playing?
Gosh, there are so many! I love horror, so I do a lot of that. I think my favorite role is the sympathetic villain or anti-hero. I like to take a character that might be unlikeable on the surface and find a way to make her sympathetic. One role I am very proud of is Rhonda in PERVERSIONS. Her parents were killed in a plane crash when she was younger, and now she has a sexual fetish for going to people's houses and telling them their loved ones died horrible deaths.
5) Is there a vintage classical actress to you would like to portray for a photo assignment in the future? Or even a comic book heroine?
I have done Bettie Page many times, and Harley Quinn. I think I would like to do an homage to Edie Sedgwick and Poison Ivy. I am a big Batman fan.
6) What can you tell us about Silent-But-Deadly Productions?
Brooke Lemke and I were acting in movies together, and we decided we wanted to make our own. We had a common goal of creating strong roles for women, both in front of and behind the camera. We barely knew each other when we started, and producing movies together was how we became close friends. So far, we have made "Why Am I in a Box?" which is a feature length that I directed, and three shorts Brooke directed, "A Broken Family," "Young Eyes" and "A Young Heart."
7) Who would be your favorite Scream Queens from the past and present?
I have always admired Debbie Rochon. She's such a great actress and classic Scream Queen. A new Scream Queen I love working with is Devanny Pinn. She gets it. She really wants to do quality work. I worked with her in a feature that Brandon Slagle directed called VIVID, as well as a short she directed herself called CATHARTIC.
8) You seem to have acquired many skills in diverse fields; what remains for you to learn, if anything, to be even more satisfied as an individual?
I want to keep learning more and more about everything I do. I have been acting for many years, and I want to keep improving. I have been taking acting classes since I have been in LA. As I learn more, I still see how much more I have to learn about acting, and how I can keep improving at my craft.
9) When you can get out of all these elaborate costumes and finally wear sweatpants (!!!), what can you possibly do to relax?
I like to watch movies. I go to the cinema and watch movies on Netflix. My favorite filmmaker is David Cronenberg, and I love all of his movies. The actor I am most interested in right now is James Franco, and I am always excited when he has a new movie out. I also follow certain TV shows. Right now, I'm going through all the Law & Order SVUs. I also enjoy reading graphic novels, particularly Batman.
10) Would you be up to do some stuff involving bondage, or even wearing fetish fabrics like latex or rubber? Or is there a line that you won’t cross?
Yes, I have done bondage, and latex photo shoots. I would love to do more. As for a line I would not cross, I do not do adult work. I have no personal problems with it, but I am married, and it would not be appropriate.
11) Are there things in popular culture right now (books, films, plays, etc.) that are getting your attention?
I live for Batman. I have been a fan of Batman since I was very young, and I've followed the comic for a long time. I am very excited about Dick Grayson, the first Robin, becoming Batman. I've been hoping for this for a long time. I love the Christopher Nolan films, and I am looking forward to THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. I am also obsessed with James Dean. He passed away so many years ago, but he is still influential to pop culture today. He is such an inspiration to me as an actor. Whenever I see an image of him, it makes me smile.
12) Did you get to travel outside the US? How about visiting us in Canada?
I would love to! I have a valid passport, and I will travel anywhere if expenses are paid. I would love to visit Canada.