Born in Charleroi, Belgium, Chiara Gheller was the third of five children in a large and vibrant family. Her upbringing was difficult, but those early challenges instilled in her a deep sense of resilience and a stubborn determination to reach her goals. As the middle child, she often found herself in a gray area—too old for some things, too young for others, leading her to form a close bond with her younger brothers, just two and four years her junior. Their playful rough housing helped sharpen her toughness, whether it was learning to climb trees or stand her ground.
Her family was especially large on her Italian side, thanks in part to her grandfather, who was born in Foza, nestled in the northern mountains of Italy. He was among the first waves of European immigrants post WW2—a path fraught with hardship and adversity. She admired him deeply for both his history and his character.
Throughout her life, she often felt like the “ugly duckling” or the “black sheep”, someone who never quite fit the mold or followed the expected path. From a young age, she had to fight for her independence and pursue the things she believed in, even if it meant going against her family’s expectations. That battle didn’t end in adulthood. When she was accepted into an acting school in Los Angeles, her announcement was met not with encouragement, but with doubt and fear. Her family offered no support, perhaps out of concern or disbelief in her path—and by extension, in her.
Ironically, it was an old friend, someone she hadn’t spoken to in years, who re-entered her life just when she needed help the most. Thanks to that friend’s support, she was able to begin her journey in the United States. Eventually, as her family saw her growing success and unwavering dedication, one member, her older brother, stepped in to help her complete her dream. With his support, she returned to the U.S., finished her training, and graduated.
She credits those two pivotal people, her friend and her brother, with making it possible for her to be where she is today and to pursue the path she was always meant to follow.
HELLO CHIARA GHELLER, WELCOME TO ABOUT INSIDER! WHAT GOT YOU INTO ACTING AND MADE YOU REALIZE THAT IT WAS YOUR CHOSEN PATH?
I was lucky to have parents who’d let us discover the arts, practice sports, and everything we could be interested in, as long as we were taking it seriously. I started with piano and solfege, as well as swimming, and Girl Scout (which is different from the ones you have here). My older siblings were already doing theatre at the time. I remember I went to see one of their performances on stage, and that’s when I felt it; this warmth inside of me growing up and making me realize that it was exactly what I wanted to do, to be. So, the next year, I started theatre, I was 7 years old then and I have never stopped ever since. Funny enough, my grandmother has also been doing theatre for over 30 years now in Walloon – which was the language of my side of the country before French.
WHAT KIND OF TRAINING DID YOU RECEIVE BEFORE MOVING TO LA?
I started taking theatre classes when I was 7 years old at the Paul Marchand Academy where I stayed for years until I got a more complete training at the Arthur Grumiaux Conservatory which had a partnership with some high schools in the area, so I could make theatre my major and graduate from high school and the conservatory at the same time. Then, I had the opportunity to pursue acting in Sicily during my extra senior year there, and I continued when I got into university by being cast in the theatre and stage arts festival organized by the university. It went so well that we got invited to perform in an arts festival, in Switzerland. When I changed university, one of the English teachers had the idea to put together a team to perform a modern retelling version of Robin Hood which was my very first time playing entirely in English. Then I registered into the academy of my university’s city at the time to never stop doing what I love until I got accepted into The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Los Angeles campus.
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE PROJECT “GREEN OR GO: CHASING THE HOLLYWOOD DREAM”?
Yes! The project is a docu-series and is about how making it in Hollywood is hard. What if you had to worry about your visa too? Green or Go offers an in-depth exploration of the compelling and frequently challenging experiences of international students pursuing careers in Hollywood. This limited series provides a comprehensive insight into the lives of four gifted individuals who leave their home countries, enter the U.S. on student visas, and pursue their studies in Los Angeles.
WHAT ROLE DO YOU PLAY WITHIN THE PROJECT?
I play myself, as an interviewee and producer.
CAN YOU SHARE ANY FUN FACTS FROM SET?
Actually, yes! We didn’t realize right away that the camera was set to film in slow motion; the director thought at first that his computer wasn’t powerful enough for all the footage and that was why it was lagging. Little did he know his computer was fine, but since nobody had realized the camera was the problem yet, we kept filming with the wrong setting. It wasn’t until after the director bought a new and more powerful computer that he realized the real problem was never his computer. So, we had to reshoot everything with the right setting this time last-minute.
Another one was the AC that was way too loud, so we had to turn it off to be able to film but let me tell you that we filmed in August, in a small studio in DTLA, and there usually was an average of 5 to 6 people in the closed space at a time. We might have lost a few pounds with all the sweating.
HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED?
I was already working with the director, Jibreel Turner, as his assistant before he decided to be a first-time director with this project. Originally, Jibreel was a screenwriter, writer and co-founder of Obelisk Media Group LLC., but he had met several international students throughout his life and thought to turn their experience into a docuseries. He talked to me about his idea, and I knew just the right people to make it happen! Just like that, I became part of the project as both an interviewee and producer.
The project will premiere this Summer, so stay tuned!
IN TODAY’S HOLLYWOOD, THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT PUSH FOR GREATER INCLUSIVITY AND REPRESENTATION. HOW DO YOU SEE YOUR WORK CONTRIBUTING TO THIS MOVEMENT, AND WHAT CHANGES DO YOU STILL HOPE TO SEE IN THE INDUSTRY?
As a woman, I’m already glad to see the industry’s evolution towards more equal opportunities and respectful considerations. We’ve not reached a woman harm free environment yet, but they’re making progress! More women are playing the main character and less of them are only seen as the sex symbol of the movie. That’s a win! I hope that I can shine some light on actresses who have an accent, who are not coming from wealth or connections, but who are talented nonetheless and worth being seen on the big screen without having to forget their heritage and pretend to be American. I feel that it’s still something that needs to be changed; I keep seeing a lot of auditions requiring a perfect American accent, some of them even saying “no accent accepted” meaning “no non-American accent accepted”. I’d understand if the character was American, but it’s not always the case. It’s hard. Nailing a different accent can take years and at the same time, there’s no such thing as an American accent. The country is so big, not everybody speaks the same way even regarding grammar and vocabulary. But also, the world doesn’t sound like what I would assume would be considered the “General American Accent”. Most of the times, when I’d watch an American movie with a French character in it, 99% of the time it’d be an American actor speaking French when you have so many French actors in the country – French speakers can hear the difference. Or when for an audition they request the character to have a French accent, they’re actually looking for a cliché they’re used to hear and doesn’t correspond to the actual accent. I understand that when you immigrate to a country, you try to fit in and learn the language and culture, but we’re talking about movies, and movies representing people’s lives from all over the world. But even just in the U.S. you can find so many accents because they’re so many people coming from everywhere in the world living in the country. I’ve seen so many actors being requested to lose their accent just so they can get more roles. Why? What is wrong with having an accent? It tells a story and it’s authentic! Accents represent people’s heritage, their roots, and that’s exactly what most movies portray.
DO YOU HAVE ANY UPCOMING PROECTS YOU ARE WORKING ON?
Aside from the premiere of the docuseries “Green or Go: Chasing the Hollywood Dream” I am involved in several Verticals such as “The Queen Mafia VS the Evil Neighbors”, “The Tutor Trap”, and “The Fated in the Storm of Wealth (AKA Boytoy)” which could be found on different apps like the Good Short app, Drama Box app, etc.
HOW CAN PEOPLE FOLLLOW YOUR JOURNEY?
I am on Instagram @chiara.like.chaos.
