Rising Star Angelena Bonet of Crystal Heart Productions On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Entertainment Industry
An Interview With Elana Cohen
Become self sufficient. I wish I had someone tell me years ago to hone skills behind the scenes as well as in the front of the cameras. I found this out later in my career and it has been a magical experience to grow as an artist and teach myself to edit film. I just didn’t know in the beginning of my career how important it was to be in control of your art and destiny and not rely on anyone else.
As a part of our series about pop culture’s rising stars, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Angelena Bonet.
Multi-award winning documentary filmmaker, Angelena Bonet, interviews inspirational women all around the world and from all walks of life for her online talk show Heart Of The Matter. She has also produced a documentary short film Change The World, a feature film tetralogy and her soundtrack and music videos in their entirety which have collectively won over 300 international film festival awards. She founded Crystal Heart Productions in 2014 after suffering two life changing tragedies in the hopes to make a positive difference in others lives. Bonet has won numerous ‘Best Inspirational Film’ awards and the prestigious ‘Humanitarian Award’ at the Jane Austen Film Festival in the U.K. From Australian supermodel to multi-award winning documentary filmmaker, singer-songwriter and humanitarian her message is one of peace, love and unity.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I grew up in Sydney, Australia and first appeared on national television at the age of four on a preschool show called Romper Room with my twin brother. It was filmed at Channel 7 Television Studios near where I lived and I can still remember having the best time. It no doubt had an impact on me. I began ballet lessons that same year and piano lessons at six. Dancing was my passion and I studied jazz and tap from the age of ten. I then continued my dance studies as well as singing and drama at The Australian College of Entertainment during high school. When I was eighteen I was discovered at a hair salon that year and asked to model for a shoot that appeared in Vogue Australia. I then modelled part-time while studying and got my first job as a secretary the following year. I was scouted by a top Sydney modelling agency at twenty and things just took off from there. The very next day I was booked on a television soap opera “Breakers” where they wrote me into the script and I was on that show, which aired in 50 countries, for the next two years. I was then on the cover with a ten page spread of the three biggest selling issues of Inside Sport magazine (Australian version of Sports Illustrated) and was named ‘The New Australian Supermodel’ on national news when I returned to Sydney after modeling in Milan.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
I began my career in Sydney, Australia as a professional model and actress after training in dance, piano and acting during my childhood. My career took me to Milan, New York, L.A and Canada where I have based myself since 2010. I then hosted the FIFA World Cup Show and acted in Ghostly Encounters that same year and after experiencing the sudden passing of my fiancé and then a victim of a violent crime I decided to create my production company, Crystal Heart Productions in 2014 to produce content that empowers women and allows us to have our voices heard.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I was in Los Angeles in 2008 and decided to go to a live taping of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno by myself. Jay came out before the show to warm up the audience and he asked if anyone wanted to come up on stage and say hello. I immediately put my hand up and he picked me to come up! I was so excited to meet him and we had an amazing rapport and I felt right in my element. He asked me what I did for a living and I told him I was a model and working on an album. He noted that I had an Australian accent and made reference to the late Steve Irwin, whom he had had on his show as a guest many times over the years. He then asked me to sing something so I sang one of my songs Downtown a cappella. I was then invited back to the show a few weeks later on my birthday and got to meet Canadian actress Evangeline Lilly and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian U.K. star Ben Barnes. Feeling completely at ease with Jay on his set was another television appearance that had an impact on me.
It has been said that mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
When I first started my modelling career and shooting with different photographers, I was doing a lot of beauty campaigns and fashion editorial. To fit those sample sizes you have been so thin and I tried to diet to reach that unhealthy weight and I realised that I wasn’t prepared to starve myself or jeopardise my health to fit some warped idea of beauty. I stayed my naturally slim shape and my modeling agent discovered that the swimsuit and lingerie clients loved my look and they are the markets I really excelled at. It was wonderful for me because I could do what I love but still eat hamburgers and pasta and live without constantly eating lettuce leaves and counting calories. I was not prepared to give up carbs because the body needs them. I do not advocate for size 0 and encourage women of all ages to embrace their natural body type and be the healthiest you can be while enjoying foods they love in moderation. There is no way I could have made four feature films, one documentary short film, seven music videos, two web series and everything else I have achieved without nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. Food is medicine and fuel and restricting calories can negatively impact our healthy and beauty.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
I am currently in the research stage of a non-profit project to support women and girls fleeing violence and experiencing trauma. I am also writing my first book to share the wisdom I have gained from my life so far and help others with their healing journey. I am still interviewing inspirational women for my web series Heart Of The Matter and am about to produce another documentary film.
You have been blessed with success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
My advice to anyone starting out in the entertainment industry is to follow your dream because you are passionate about the arts, not because you want to be famous. You need to live and breathe the work and becoming an artist takes many years of honing skills and knowing who you are. The definition of success is a personal one and for me it’s about having the courage to follow my dream and put my heart into everything I do. Failure shouldn’t be something that is feared because trial and error, learning and growing is what it’s all about. Everyone makes mistakes but learning from them is key. I don’t doubt there are many “successful” people in Hollywood that are really miserable so defining success for yourself before you start out is imperative. I taught myself how to edit and do every aspect of film production because I absolutely love it and it’s handy to be self-sufficient and create your vision without relying on anyone else. If you do what you love you will never work a day in your life. Be prepared to work very hard for many years and know that it’s better to have attempted something than to regret that you didn’t later in life. Go for it and believe in yourself!
We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?
In my song Change The World one of the lines toward the end says “why is it all about how we look?” I wrote those lyrics when I was a model and I still feel the same today. Being one of Australia’s successful models, particularly swimsuit and lingerie, I was constantly judged by my looks and I received both positive and negative treatment. It was a challenging time to navigate but luckily I was raised by loving parents who taught me equality, didn’t value me for my appearance and taught me self worth. I found the modeling world an interesting education and got to see how fickle people can be and the importance placed on physical beauty. My point of view hasn’t changed in time because I have always been that down-to-earth friendly Aussie girl who sees everyone as equal. The fashion industry gives us a very limited idea of what they consider to be beautiful. You can clearly see that when you watch a Victoria Secrets Show — all the models virtually look the same! And they represent about 1% of the global population but at the same time they dictate to women that this is the ideal. From my point of view, “physical beauty” isn’t what makes someone beautiful. I have met and worked with people who possess physical traits that magazines deem as desirable but when they have an attitude or see themselves above other people they immediately appear ugly. I’ve also seen the dangerous lengths some models resort to to lose weight and become a size 0. Let me tell you, it isn’t pretty. Inner beauty such as kindness and compassion for others is what shines through and makes someone glow and has nothing to do with age or ethnicity. When you only focus on someone’s skin, you miss an opportunity to connect with another human being sharing the planet with you. All of our journeys are sacred and need to be respected. I have met so many incredible people and it’s amazing what you can learn from them when you take the time to talk and listen to them. Everyone has a story, paths cross for a reason and life shouldn’t be taken for granted. I think many people may have learned that truth this year during the Covid19 global lockdown. Connecting with our family and friends is the most important thing and it has nothing to do with looking “perfect”! If society is to progress then we need to look past our appearance and see the person inside. No-one is better than anyone else. No sex, no race, no religion. Just respect everyone for who they are and this place will be amazing. Celebrating our uniqueness and individuality is something we should all be striving for across the board, not just in the Film and Television industry.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
1. Become self sufficient. I wish I had someone tell me years ago to hone skills behind the scenes as well as in the front of the cameras. I found this out later in my career and it has been a magical experience to grow as an artist and teach myself to edit film. I just didn’t know in the beginning of my career how important it was to be in control of your art and destiny and not rely on anyone else.
2. I think another important thing is to surround yourself with positive and supportive people, including family members. Many women become very jealous of beauty, talent and someone in the limelight and can become very toxic and vindictive. I wish someone had really instilled this message in me as a young woman because I have a tendency to see the best in people and make excuses for their bad behaviour.
3. Choose your boyfriends carefully! Many men want a model on their arm but they don’t have the confidence to cope with the attention she gets everywhere she goes. I have dated some men that were very threatened by my career on the rise and tried to pull me down and become controlling. I wish someone had told me that not everyone has a big heart and are quite superficial, egotistical and all about their image.
4. Learn the business. I think this is a hard one for many artists because we would rather put our energy out being creative, not dealing with the business side of things. I wish someone had told me the ugly side to the beautiful business. I lost many a modelling job because I wouldn’t sleep with the client but that is what I am most proud of. I never sold my soul and can look myself in the eye and got my jobs on merit alone.
5. Keep practising your instrument daily. I learned classical piano as a child and had a piano in my bedroom. When I got older and busier I wasn’t as diligent with my practice as I once was. I wish someone had told me that no matter what, make time each day to practice and keep your dexterity.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
My advice for colleagues in my industry to thrive rather than burn out is be very clear that you’re in this business for the right reasons. If you are in love with the arts and very creative then you will be able to persevere and deal with the set backs and long hours. Getting clear on what genre you resonate with and honing your skills is also imperative. I produce all my work in their entirety and even though it is a ridiculous amount of work, I love the whole creative process and how it unfolds organically. Filmmaking is definitely not a nine to five job so being passionate about what you’re wanting to create is the number one ingredient so you have the drive to persist with your project. Don’t be afraid to take risks either because being in your comfort zone as an artist is never a good thing. Being uncomfortable is where the magic happens so believe in yourself. Trying to find some balance is a tricky thing but taking time out to recharge the batteries and take care of yourself will ensure you don’t burn out and have the energy to keep creating.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
Creating Change The World and inspiring people around the world and touching their hearts is a wonderful gift that I am very grateful for. I have deep compassion for myself and every other woman who has suffered sexual violence and I am honored to use my voice for good and speak for those who can’t. My spirit couldn’t be silenced and to now be heard in every country is something so special and is very hard to describe. When I look back at what I have endured and the miracle of surviving the murder attempt to now winning these special awards is something I could never have imagined would happen! I vowed to make a stand and leave this world a better place than I found it and I am committed. Women are now finding their voice and self-worth and it is fabulous to see. I feel future generations will look back at this point in time with fascination, shock, and dismay and also awe at the courage women have shown by standing up and speaking out about the injustices and violence they have suffered since time immemorial. The social fabric is changing and I’m hopeful the momentum will continue and begin to move more quickly. I see the future in a positive light. I believe change is possible and that we are at the dawn of a new day. As more and more women are in leadership positions, the world will naturally become a more inclusive one and love will become the focus again. Violence will no longer be a silent global epidemic, all girls will receive an education, and helping others will become our primary goal. We have set the wheels in motion to ensure future generations have a safer and more equal world. My message is one of peace, love and unity and being an example of how to turn tragic into magic is the legacy I am creating.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I have been blessed to have had many great people in my life and teachers over the years but the one person that I am most grateful for helping me get to where I am today is Erick. He changed my life and enriched it in such positive ways. To have unconditional love is a rare thing on this planet and I don’t take that for granted. He knew my potential, he believed in me and I love the tunes he wrote for me. When he passed away I got to see how strong I really was and had to finish our project on my own. I was pushed so far out of my comfort zone and have since grown and learned so much about myself. Once again I got to put in practice all that I had learned from him in the studio and producing my album on my own at Trackdown, Fox Studios was definitely an experience I will never forget. I wanted to make him proud and complete our project and keep my promise. And I have!
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My favorite life lesson quote is one by Audrey Hepburn:-
“For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.”
I think those words of hers are magical, wise and true. And this came from one of the world’s most naturally beautiful women and it really touches a chord in my heart. If everyone lived by this mantra, could you imagine humanity’s potential? Inner beauty is what shines through and kindness and love is what makes the world go round. Being in the entertainment industry, physical beauty is vital but I really feel it’s important to remember that beauty is only skin deep and it’s what is on the inside that really counts.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
I would love to have a private lunch with Gloria Allred. She is the most famous woman attorney practicing law in America today. She is a tireless and successful advocate for victims whose rights have been violated. Her high-profile legal battles have led to many landmark precedent-setting court decisions and hundreds of millions of dollars for her clients. I loved the Netflix documentary Seeing Allred and am currently reading her daughter, Lisa Bloom’s book “Think”. I would love to meet her and congratulate her for standing up for women rights and her courage to fight these lawsuits. Her strength is so admirable and I would love to pick her brains!
How can our readers follow you online?
Readers can connect with me via my website — https://www.angelenabonet.com
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
Thank you very much Authority Magazine, it’s been great talking with you!
