Meet Vanessa Gelacio | Actress, Singer & Filmmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Vanessa Gelacio and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Vanessa, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I’ve always liked gambling, taking risks and I like the thrill of “Am I going to make this work?” There’s also a magic to life one unravels once you start doing the things that scare you. At first I only took risks intuitively, without hesitation or even thinking about it you know? Like, when you are a teenager and you think you’re invincible; but then I became an adult and I started having to make “Taking risks” a conscious choice, based on the values life I want to live. It’s funny how something that was second nature to me now has become “Exposure therapy” because mental health kicks in at some point in our life.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m lucky that I always kinda knew that acting was the path to take. For me, acting is an open door to knowledge and I simply love knowledge!.. and I’m not gonna lie, I also like the glamour and attention!
When I was younger my only desire was to be a famous actress with all the glamour and attention and when I told my mom I wanted to pursue an acting career at the age of 10, she said “Are you sure?, ok I’ll do some research and she enrolled me in acting classes with “the best teachers in town”. Fast forward to the moment my first class began, and oh boy! My mother had enrolled me in the most Bohemian and Grubby looking theater you can imagine! there was nothing glamorous about it! I even remember the smell of gasoline that garage had. My pride and complacent personality made me stay for a month in those classes but then a month turned into 3 years! I understood that story telling is not a glamorous job! acting is very humbling! and that grubby looking theater did have the BEST teachers in town! So to answer your question No, its not easy, nothing is ever easy, life doesn’t always go as planned but I will always try to embrace those humbling moments and set my ego aside for a greater purpose, be professional, and find the balance between life and career! I also think you should not put acting in a pedestal but It took me 3 years of complete isolation and obsession to really understand that.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would start with a morning hike at Temescal canyon trail, the view and sensory experience climbing up that mountain will inspire anyone! then I would follow with a healthy brunch maybe avocado toast with a natural juice at robeks, go visit some landmark or museums, or thrift shopping! have a nice Linner maybe a lobster roll at C.O.D seafood in beverly hills or a Simple sandwich at Mendocino farms (Depends on the budget) and finish the day with a good comedy show, perhaps a groundlings show or west side comedy!
I’d also make space to do the bike path from Venice to Redondo beach, Universal studios, iFly and Salsa Dancing at the Promenade in Santa monica.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Yes! When Covid hit I remember depression knocking on my door and harassing me to the point where I didn’t even feel like myself anymore. And call it luck or call it work and grace of the holy spirit! My school came up with a class called the Anti-anxiety, Anti-depression toolkit. Of all the student body that could’ve taken that class only two students, TWO students! (Me and my Friend Ayako) decided to take that class. Julian F. Henning, whom I still regard as a mentor, taught that class, and I will always be grateful for the invaluable knowledge he shared with me. And for helping me understand how we can shift energy around and how powerful and productive we can be, even with Depression or that depression isn’t something to be afraid of at all! That class truly shaped the foundation for how I approach life.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vanessa_gelacio/