Rising Star Niko Ceci On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Entertainment Industry
An Interview With Elana Cohen
It is okay to fail because this is how actors grow. For example I made it to the last round of auditions for a main character in 13 the Musical, but unfortunately, I did not get the part. At the time I was only 11 and I took it very hard. I closed myself in my room and spent a good hour crying. When I finally got it together, this experience pushed me to train my voice even more and I am so happy because when I look back at my vocal range at the time of the audition versus where I am now, there is no comparison.
As a part of my series about pop culture’s rising stars, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Niko Ceci.
Niko Ceci is a fast-rising teen actor, dancer, and singer to watch from Toronto, Canada. Niko has amassed a significant body of voice work including playing leads in productions such as Corn and Peg, Blue’s Clues & You, Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum, and Remy & Boo. Niko also continues to build his film and television portfolio with roles on Odd Squad, Resolve and Incorporated.
Coming up next, Niko will be celebrating his biggest role to date starring as Kev in the highly anticipated teen television series I Woke Up a Vampire following the story of Carmie Henley who wakes up on her thirteenth birthday to discover she suddenly has supernatural powers. The show is airing now on the Family Channel and will stream later in 2023 on Netflix.
Niko can also be seen starring in part two of the first season of the hit sci-fi anthology series Circuit Breakers premiering on Apple TV+ this 2023.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I grew up in Oakville, Ontario, with my mom and dad and my older sister who plays hockey. My parents introduced us to the theater at a very young age and I fell in love with it right away, which is why I grew up singing, dancing and acting since the age of six. I also spent a lot of time cooking with my grandma who’s love for music inspired me to sing.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
My parents showed me classics like Annie and The Wizard of Oz. Watching the actors sing and dance made me truly happy, so at six, when I was approached by a family friend to be in a musical, I said YES. I fell in love with the stage immediately and I have never looked back since saying my first line.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your entertainment career?
This is kind of a funny story. When I auditioned for the role of “Pablo” on the animated reboot of Clifford the Big Red Dog, I convinced my parents to agree to getting a puppy if I landed the role. I am not sure how or why, but they agreed and guess what? Now I have a three-year-old silver lab called Willow and she is the BEST!
It has been said that our 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 was preparing for an animation callback, I prepared for the wrong character. My heart dropped when I realized what had happened, but luckily, I was able to stay focused and review the new lines and in the end I booked the role. This experience taught me that it is important to stay calm in all situations and that mistakes happen so trust your gut and just believe in yourself and your abilities and everything will usually be okay.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?
At the moment the most interesting project I worked on would have to be I Woke Up A Vampire. I think this is a great show because there are so many diverse characters that tweens can relate to. The stories emphasize the fact that it is okay to be different and that people should embrace their strengths and talents because they are what make us all unique.
Most young people your age don’t have to balance work and school. Can you tell us how you manage to balance your schoolwork, auditions, and time on set?
Staying ahead of work and communicating with teachers is key for young actors. I never know when an audition is going to be sent in and if I know I am going to be on set one day, I make sure to complete all of that day’s work on the weekend. This reduces stress as well as catch-up time. Personally, working ahead also helps me to feel prepared despite the fact that I may have missed school. Additionally, on set I am very lucky to have tutors. These tutors will stay in contact with my teachers and help me to complete assigned work. They are there if I have any questions or if I need clarification on assigned work.
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?
There are many people I have to thank for where I am today. I used to do competitive gymnastics and one of the parents who was a stunt woman asked if I would be interested in getting an agent. I had been dreaming of this moment for a very long time. I met with my agent, Megan Mcgregor from Invision Artists, and the rest is history. Megan has believed in me from day one. She has supported me, guided me and encouraged me since the age of six and I know she has my back. I also want to thank my parents for giving up so much of their time in order to help support my dreams. I am truly very blessed for the people in my life.
Ok, thank you for all that. Now let’s jump to the main part of our interview. What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)
Five things that I wish someone told me when I first started are:
- It is okay to fail because this is how actors grow. For example I made it to the last round of auditions for a main character in 13 the Musical, but unfortunately, I did not get the part. At the time I was only 11 and I took it very hard. I closed myself in my room and spent a good hour crying. When I finally got it together, this experience pushed me to train my voice even more and I am so happy because when I look back at my vocal range at the time of the audition versus where I am now, there is no comparison.
- A simple call back is a win. Even if you do not book the job, as was the case in the example of 13 the Musical, the fact that you are even called back means that you did something right and that the casting directors saw something great in your performance. The fact that you may not book the job could be for reasons that may not necessarily have anything to do with your performance. For example, in the case of the 13 the Musical audition, the fact that I was much younger than the other cast members and that my voice was in a completely different range than them did not make me an ideal candidate for the role at the time.
- You are running your own race-My parents often remind me of this when I get stressed out. They say “you are running your own race and do not need to worry about what others are doing.” This is really important because the second you start to take your eye off the ball…you lose it so to speak. In this industry it is really easy to look at what is happening with fellow actors and feel stressed out if you do not work as much. The key is to not let that consume you. As my agent always reminds me “The right role for you will come along so stay focused and stay the course.”
- Never underestimate a job, no matter how small. It is really important to treat every job with equal importance and effort. For example, I prepare for every job equally because you never know where it might lead. Whether I am voicing animation or I am acting on screen or on stage, I soak it all in and give it my best effort every time. Whether I am the lead or the supporting, I am ready and excited to bring a character to life.
- Don’t just say the lines, create a character that tells a story-I learned early on that it is not enough to deliver the lines. Because I started my career in voice animation, the preparation and tone are very different from on screen, so I had to learn a whole new style of acting. I had to learn how to create a character that becomes real for audiences, but I no longer had animation to help create my character, it was all on me.
You are a person of enormous influence. How do you think you can use social media as a platform to be a positive influence to your fans, and for society at large?
I can use social media to be a positive influence for my fans by being real. This means leading by example and posting not only about upcoming projects, but also to promote and encourage positive behaviors such as respect, love and giving back to the community. This means that I can also use social media to support and celebrate the accomplishments of fellow actors and friends, family as well as promote initiatives, organizations or charities that give back to the community.
If you had the ability to choose to work on any TV show or film, or work alongside any co-star, or with any director, what or who would that be, and why? You never know who might see this article, especially if we tag them. :-)
If I could work on any show, it would be the show Wednesday. I love Tim Burton’s style. I believe that his characters and the style of his work are very unique and entertaining and I would love to bring one of his characters to life. If I could work with any actress, it would be Helena Bonham Carter, which is very ironic because Helena and Tim are married! I also love Jenna Ortega, who plays “Wednesday” in the series Wednesday. I grew up watching Jenna on the Disney channel and I feel that both are versatile and inspiring actors as they can play characters that are very different from one another.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
Your readers can follow me on Instagram @niko.ceci and on TikTok @officialnikoceci!
This was very meaningful, thank you so much!
