Chiara Aurelia in 3d
Top by Dimora, Gloves by PR Solo
It took me a minute to realize Chiara Aurelia is just one person.
Words by Esteban Arellano
As Jeanette in Freeform’s new series Cruel Summer, she plays three versions of herself over her teenage years in mid-90s Texas. The show follows three different versions of Jeanette and her friends as a popular classmate’s disappearance shakes their town. From scene to scene, Jeanette transforms before our eyes. A shy nerd with braces in ‘93. A stilted it-girl in ‘94. And by ‘95, “the most hated girl in America.” She moves between all three with ease while maintaining a trace of herself throughout the blur. She’s everyone yet still herself.
But I would be talking to Chiara, not Jeanette, and I didn’t really know what to expect. A few decades out of the pager-realm of Cruel Summer, I found all I could online. Like Jeanette, Chiara is still a teenager -- turning eighteen last fall. But just this year alone, she’s also starring in Tell Me Your Secrets on Amazon and Fear Street 2 on Netflix. Her Instagram reflects the multiple dimensions of an emerging young star like Chiara — a mix of random selfies with girlfriends at a Target posted alongside a stunning gown for magazine features. She may be young but it’s clear that her career is about to explode.
I caught up with Chiara right before take off. She hopped on the call from L.A. the morning after her series premiere screened from the balconies of the Beverly Hilton. I hopped on from my childhood home in Colorado -- sweaty post-run thinking the call was audio-only. Nevertheless, we traversed the odd communications of the new digital age together to talk everything from Virgo-hood to Tamagotchis.
We both join the Zoom call. Our cameras are off for a moment before Chiara turns hers on, greeting me from a bright room. I oblige and turn mine on as well.
We exchange the customary digital greetings as I try to prepare myself to talk to this teenager much cooler than me—and jump right in.
ESTEBAN ARELLANO: I can’t help but notice the similarities between you and Jeanette as two young teenage girls trying to figure out life while being in such a public spotlight. I'm curious what your own high school experience was like as you've been developing your career?
CHIARA AURELIA: I think that there's a lot with my family and the way that I was raised that just isn't technically normal. We're very out-of-the-box people and we like to do out-of-the-box things and experience different parts of life. I grew up with a single mom, so I have different experiences than a lot of people. And I definitely think it was unique to the fact that I'm in the industry — I was working from such a young age. Something that was really important to my mom growing up in my family was that I was able to enjoy being young while I was young and able to enjoy my childhood and really feel happy and excited and not force myself to grow up so fast. To live in that '93 Jeanette for as long as I wanted to and not be pressured to grow up quickly and become older. Especially in an industry like ours, there is a huge pressure to feel like you need to be an adult, even when you're 15 and 16 years old.
AURELIA: And something that we worked really hard on was to make sure that that wasn't something I personally experienced. So I actually really do feel like I got the opportunity to have a high school experience. I had a lot of friends that weren't in the industry. I spent a lot of time with people who didn't have any idea what I was doing or what my work was like. Even though I did go to an independent study for my high school, I spent a lot of time with kids in high school. I went to prom. I did the things that hopefully I'm not going to regret missing out on later. I enjoyed those so much and it was incredible that I feel really lucky that I had a mom who helped me balance a career and an education and a high school experience and friends at a high school all at the same time. And I didn't fit in super well. I was trying to work and I was doing very unusual things. You can always kind of feel like you're not totally in or you're not totally normal, but there's something really special and amazing about that — especially in an environment that really embraced me from such a young age.
ARELLANO: You've talked a lot about having this out-of-the-box childhood, which is super fascinating to me. Was there a specific moment that you had where you realized that maybe your childhood or your career trajectory is going to look different? What did that feel like for you?
AURELIA: I think the moment that I realized that my trajectory was a little bit different was probably when my mom looked at me and she told me I didn't have to do any of this. You can just go to school and go to college and explore something different and maybe come back to this later. And that was the worst, worst idea to me. Soul crushing. I kind of played with the idea of just going to high school and doing that. And I thought about it a lot. And then thinking that I could potentially lose the fantasy or the idea of doing what I love every day and being around these people that I can learn so much from was the worst idea ever. And I very immediately realized that this was what I was going to do, and this is what I was meant to do. Although there were definitely many other paths and there was a different way I could've gone about it, I can't imagine my life any different than this. And I'm really grateful that I was able to explore this in the way that I was.
ARELLANO: It sounds like there's a lot of dedication to the craft that you're honing right now.
AURELIA: Yeah. It's all about the craft. I mean, for me personally, I just want to grow and learn. And as long as I feel like I'm educating myself and doing human beings justice who have gone through these experiences. I'm learning and I'm growing and I'm able to learn from the incredible creatives and talents that are surrounding me everyday. I think I'm always doing something right. And something that I really strive to work on is making sure that I never stop trying to get better and trying to learn as a human being and as an actress. And I think we all have a lot of lessons and moments that teach us a lot about ourselves and about others. And I'm just trying to go into every day with an open mind and pick up everything I can, because those are the moments that are going to inform my decisions later in life and also potentially help me in my career in the future.
ARELLANO: I'm curious what you are trying to learn right now? What are the areas that you're trying to grow in as a person or actor?
AURELIA: All of it. I guess I'm a Virgo, which is to say-
ARELLANO: I'm a Virgo rising.
AURELIA: Right. I'm a Virgo and something that is really important to me is that I never — I don't know how to phrase this correctly. I stress the importance in my life on learning from my mistakes. And that's one of the most important things to me because every person makes mistakes and every human being makes mistakes and every teenager and every woman — we all make mistakes all the time. And the biggest places for us to grow are in the moments where we don't want to listen to that person, or we don't want to hear it, or we're not interested in it. And I think that especially in Jeanette's case, you can do things wrong over and over and over again, as long as you can learn from them and not continue to make the same mistakes I think you're always doing something right. And especially as an actress and as a person, there's always something to learn. And I hate people who are like, "I know everything." That is the most frustrating thing to me. No one knows everything. Everyone has a different way of going about things. And you can always learn from people that you're surrounded by — especially when you're in an industry like this with so many people who have made all the mistakes that I could potentially make and done all the things that I'm doing right now. I want to pick up on that knowledge. I want mentors that are able to walk me through this journey and teach me in ways that I can grow and learn. And I will continue to make mistakes. And over the next couple of years, there's going to be a lot that I still need to learn, but I want to grow as an actress. And I want to be the best that I can be. And I think that there's something to be said in just accepting that we're not perfect all the time. And you know, there's always room for us to grow.
ARELLANO: Mm. I feel that so hard. I'm just a couple of years older than you, but I feel like being a young person you need to learn how to make mistakes. And it's awkward making those first steps in an industry where everyone seems to know so much more than you do. But that's kind of the only way to be able to do it and make your way into it.
buy Issue II Featuring Chiara
AURELIA: Also, nobody knows anything. [We both laugh].
ARELLANO: Yeah, talk to 40 year-olds and they're confused.
AURELIA: We're still confused. Fully grown adults who've done this for 50 years are still confused. It's confusing. We're in a confusing world. We're in a confusing industry. It's stressful and it's weird and nobody knows what they're doing most of the time. But as long as we come together and we have each other's backs and we support one another, there is always somewhere to go and there's always a place of comfort and happiness that we can develop in our work and in our humanity. And I think that that's really, really important.
ARELLANO: I know you talked a little bit about astrology and being a Virgo. Are there other things or beliefs that you use to stay grounded or feel in touch with yourself and your work?
AURELIA: Definitely. There's a lot of ways that I keep myself grounded. I'm really lucky that I have incredible people surrounding me that keep me in check and keep me grounded and tell me when I'm doing something wrong. My mom is really incredible and she's devoted her whole life to helping me and supporting and loving me unconditionally and teaching me to love myself unconditionally. She's taught me to stay grounded and know who I am. I think that that's helped me a lot. She's a Virgo too .
ARELLANO: Got the Virgo team right there.
AURELIA: Two Virgoes in one house.
ARELLANO: Does that get crazy?
AURELIA: Oh yeah. We're both very detail-oriented, but we have different things that we want to be detail oriented about. So it can be [crazy] a lot of times but super special. Also just incredible friends and not being afraid to ask for help and leaning on your support system. And again, knowing that you don't know everything and it's alright to make mistakes. Just make sure to do things for yourself and for your mental, physical, and emotional health while taking care of yourself as a person and taking care of your friends when they need you. Supporting your castmates and supporting your crew. I think those are all parts of it. And in return, they're supporting me.
ARELLANO: From the first few episodes that I've seen so far, there were so many shifting alliances between the groups of friends. It's kind of hard to keep track. How would you describe your relationship with your friends off-set in real life?
AURELIA: For starters, I have really close relationships with my whole cast as friends. We all are very, very close and our relationships are far different from our relationships in the show. We very much have each other's backs. We support one another. We're there for each other. But my friends personally in my life kind of outside of work, I feel like we've all had experiences with friends that don't turn out the way we hope or someone turns their back on you or doesn't support you, or leaves and becomes friends with someone that has hurt you really badly. I think that's all part of being a teenager. It's super normal. I'm very selective about the people that I have close to me. I have a lot of amazing friends but I definitely have been lucky. I pass through a lot of people that maybe didn't click with me as well and found a unit of like five or 10 people who I would do anything for in totally different parts of my life.
Jacket by Sorapol London
AURELIA: They're not all friends with one another. One of my best girlfriends is staying with me right now. And then one of my other best friends is working in New York — everyone's all over the place. But we know that even if you're not talking every day, if something's wrong they would fly across the country or do whatever is needed to make sure that I'm okay. It's something that's important to work on. But also I like being comfortable alone. Especially in a time like this, when you can't be around people, as much as you normally would. Working on discovering the relationships that are most important to you and also discovering what you feel like when you're by yourself. And when you have time to reflect and time to learn, those are all parts of it too. And so it's a whole working system.
ARELLANO: How do you feel like you spend your time kind of reflecting? I know I've been spending so much time alone this past year with quarantine, alone with my thoughts. How has that been for you and how do you manage to stay afloat?
AURELIA: It's hard. There's nothing about it that's easy. But just being able to do what I love and working on my craft and being able to watch amazing movies and being fortunate enough that I was able to survive the time and just not taking anything for granted and appreciating everything you have. I spend time writing and reading and listening to really good music and watching little movies and talking to my friends on the phone or just going on walks. All of those are really grounding, centering things. Maybe we didn't appreciate them as much in previous times but I definitely think it's a good time. Even just taking a bath. I didn't have a bath in the apartment I was living in for the last six or seven months. And I didn't realize how much I loved it.
ARELLANO: Baths are so nice. So hard when you have an apartment though.
AURELIA: Yeah, no, for sure. And then I finally have the bathroom now and I'm just enjoying it so much more than I would have previously. Just put on a movie, light a candle, treat yourself.
ARELLANO: You talked about the books and movies and music that you were listening to and enjoying. What other stuff have you been watching? What do I need to be checking out now?
AURELIA: Not '90s related but I very much enjoyed The Queen's Gambit (which I say everywhere I go because it was so incredible.)
ARELLANO: She's [Anya Taylor-Joy] incredible. Style icon.
AURELIA: So talented and amazing. She's incredible. Anya is literally amazing. She is killing it in every way and she's so talented. She seems like a great gal.
AURELIA: In terms of the '90s stuff that we were listening to on set — a lot of Ace of Bass, Mazzy Star. There was a lot of different '90s music. Garbage's "Stupid Girl." We have a really great soundtrack to the show which I'm super excited for everyone to listen to and enjoy. They also gave us a whole list of '90s movies.
ARELLANO: Oh, cool. It sounds like an old time capsule.
AURELIA: Yeah. A little Dazed and Confused. Clueless — which was a little bit later, but a lot of that nineties energy was super fun to emulate.
ARELLANO: That's incredible.What do you think you're most looking forward to once COVID is over and you're able to go back into some semblance of normal life with your friends?
AURELIA: I think I'm just excited to be around the people I care about — especially family that I haven't been able to see in a really long time that are older. And I think just being able to be around people without worry or without stress and without anxiety. I think that that's a big part of it — being able to enjoy quality time a little bit.
ARELLANO: Just to shift gears a little bit here. I was really interested in the fashion sense of Cruel Summer. The '90s mall culture — going to pick something like a necklace at the mall. I was born in '99 so I think I was at the very tail end of that as I'm sure you were too. But I still like went to the mall with my friends growing up all the time. Where do you do your shopping now? Where do you get your inspiration? What does that look like for you now in 2021?
Top by Helen Anthony, Dress by Alabama Blonde, Hat M.T.S.Z
AURELIA: I did. I loved the mall when I was younger. I love shopping. I am super interested in fashion. It's been really fun at least with this project specifically to tap into a bit of the '90s fashion and feel what that looks like — especially in this show — and using it in my life. I just bought the Steve Madden little wedge black shoes that you see on the show now. I wear them every day and I love them so much. Being able to explore more, going to some thrift stores, vintage stores, finding your style, trying different things, seeing what works, seeing what doesn't. All of that was great. And they had such incredible clothes on the show — even in the years that weren't necessarily my fashion sense. They really explored the colors differently, the different years, and different brands authentically looking for the '90s stuff.
ARELLANO: Yeah. I think it's super cool. I think that the '90s are just starting to become like American history from our 2021 perspective. I think in my mind there was just nothing super special about the '90s. It didn't seem that particular at first. But this is such a cool fashion sense. It's starting to get some unique style we can touch on like how we imagine the '80s. I'm sure it must have been fun to be able to channel that for the entire time making the show.
AURELIA: Oh, for sure. We were able to channel a lot of stuff — a lot of '90s energy for sure. Between the music, clothing, the set design, and the lack of technology, it was all really different and super cool.
ARELLANO: Right. Like the pager scene. I was watching the show with my mom and she's like, "Oh my God, there's a pager there! I remember those!"
AURELIA: I did get to play around with the pager a little bit.
ARELLANO: How was that?
AURELIA: Very cool. We have the Walkman and all of the little '90s knick-knacks. They showed me something the other day. I can't remember what it was. It's like something this big [she cups her palm] and they say it's like a little virtual pet and you have to feed it.
ARELLANO: A Tamagotchi?
AURELIA: Yes! It starts to cry or something. And if you leave it for too long, it starts to shout. They're trying to teach me how to feed it and how to click it but I was not getting it. I don't think we had any of those in the show or at least I didn't use any. But it was very fun.
ARELLANO: I used to have a Tamagotchi when I was younger, like I think four or five. But now they're making a comeback! One of my friends had one at school the other day and it's brand new. It has this nice shiny color screen now.
AURELIA: I want a Tamagotchi!
ARELLANO: What is your relationship like with technology like social media or your phone? Do you like to spend time on there? Do you like to spend time away from it and how do you craft your online presence?
AURELIA: Oh my God, this is the hardest question ever. I hate my phone. I hate it. I really do. If I could survive without it.... People say that though and that frustrates me. You don't have to be on social media. You choose to be. And I choose to be on social media. I choose to participate in that. But there is definitely an aspect of me that wishes that it was the '90s a little bit when we weren't as technologically dependent. I'm an in-person kind of gal. I like to have human interaction in real life. I like conversations. I don't like texting. I don't like texting at all. Someone will always text me, I'll pick up the phone and call them and be like, "What's going on?" Phone calls are a little bit easier.
AURELIA: On social media, I've worked to curate my presence as much as I can to be as authentically me as possible to just represent who I am. I don't give people an unrealistic expectation of who I am as a person. I had a friend once before she met me, she'd seen my Instagram. She was like, "You're nothing like what I thought you were going to be." And I was like, "That's not what I want." I want you to go on my Instagram and think that I'm a lot of different things and I have a lot of different layers. We're not just one thing and I'm a three-dimensional human. So I try to curate that.
AURELIA: I also think that it's important to use your platform for the things that you care about and to use your voice when possible to help others and to even help yourself. I even just support my own projects and tell people about what I've put my time and energy into and hope that they support me. But I definitely have tried to curate my presence as authentically as possible. It's challenging sometimes. So social media is a very judgmental and harsh place and you can feel really uncomfortable sometimes being totally you. But I think I'm finding my group a little bit better now.
ARELLANO: I'm sure it's probably much easier said than done to be authentic and true on social media as any person — let alone having a really public career as you do.
AURELIA: Yeah, it is. It's hard. On one note you're like, "Oh, I want to post pictures where I look nice and other people think that I look nice." And then on another note, you're like, "Well, wait. I want to make sure people know about my work. But wait, I'm not just an actress." I also want people to see my friends and then it's not just my friends. I also want people to see this amazing outfit that I loved or this cause that I really care about or show the food that I liked. I think that it's just kind of creating a balance and finding your voice and finding the way that you can express yourself best and most comfortably, which is what I'm still working on.
ARELLANO: I feel really lucky being able to talk to you today. I think just because I'm excited to see you at this very exciting stage in your career. I feel like it's only going to be exponential growth up from here. Where do you see yourself when you're like 50? Where is Grandma Chiara going to be looking back?
AURELIA: Well, hopefully not a grandma by 50. But where would I like to see myself? I hope that I continue to do the work that I love with the people that I love and continue to be able to work in an environment where I feel comfortable to express myself in the artistic format that I choose. And I hope that that continues and I get to work with more incredible people. I feel very grateful for that. I hope that I have a big family as well. I want kids and I want to get married and do all of that. So I'm hoping that Chiara at an older age can find her balance and continue to find her voice. And as long as I'm learning something, I'm doing something right.
ARELLANO: It seems like the people around you are one of the biggest parts of your life. You always have those people close to you.
AURELIA: Definitely. I think that's it — the support of others is a very underestimated thing. It can transform you.
ARELLANO: Especially this year. I know that I really took for granted kind people around me — the people that I love and people I spend time with. I did until I lost that for this entire year. I'm very desperate to get back to them and spend as much time with people as I can. I'm sure it must be the same thing with you — wanting to be on phone calls with people all the time and talking to folks. I can completely relate to that. So what does this next year look like for you?
AURELIA: I have Fear Street coming out this summer on Netflix which I was really lucky to be a part of. Super excited that's coming out Summer 2021. Then I think we're just going to watch the rest of this year unfold and unravel. I've been enjoying it thus far so I can't wait to see what's to come.
Shot in Los Angeles. Hair by Bryce Scarlett Makeup by Nina Park. Styled by Carlee Wallace at Art Department. Assisted by Desiree Arriaga