Ciara Wilson Interview

Ciara Wilson took some time to answer some fun questions from BSCKids and let us know what she has going on in her career.

Ciara has worked on a variety of exciting projects including commercials, music videos and television shows. She can be seen on Disney, Nickelodeon and DreamWorks TV. In addition, Ciara has been in music videos with Chris Brown, Usher, Gucci Maine and Fifth Harmony.

Although she has enjoyed working on all her projects, guest starring as MMA fighter Vicki “Hot Head” Fuego on Disney Channel’s Bizaardvark was her most exciting challenge. Ciara won a Young Entertainer Award in 2017 for her performance. Another favorite is the DreamWorks TV OMG! series. Ciara can be seen in over thirty sketch comedies playing the lead in List It Out Laura, Zen Jen and Cheerleaders.

BSCKids: Ciara…tell us a bit about your character on Disney Channel’s Bizaardvark? How did you get the part?

Ciara Wilson: On Disney Channel’s Bizaardvark, I play teen MMA sensation Vicki “Hot Head” Fuego! She’s quick tempered and fast on her feet when it’s time to fight. In the episode, Paige and Frankie of Bizaardvark accidentally pick a fight with fierce Vicki and they battle it out in a real MMA match! When I first auditioned, I gave Vicki this deep voice and strong persona. I think I got the part because of my pure dedication to the role and embodiment of someone so different than myself!
How did you get the part, and did you have to learn any MMA moves?
I have been trained in Taekwondo and various martial arts, but I think being a professional hip hop dancer really got me the role. Fight choreography for television is very similar to dance choreography and it helps to be aware of your body! My absolute favorite part about doing this job was working with the stunt coordinator. He taught me some incredible MMA sequences and all of Vicki’s signature moves. Our amazing stunt coordinator, Marcus Young, was also featured in the episode as Vicki’s coach!

BSCKids: How did your competitive dance career help you out in acting? What do you find harder, new choreography or a new script?

Ciara Wilson: My competitive dance career has helped immensely with my acting career! Like in my role of Vicki Fuego, many jobs require you to be very aware of your body and be able to pick up certain types of choreography. Dance also opens doors to musicals, music videos, and other jobs that combine acting and dancing. Both learning new choreography and memorizing a script is very difficult in their own unique ways, however, I think learning a new script is harder. With acting, you have to dig incredibly deep into your character, specifically why they say what they say, and how you can make it real to you. With dancing, there is a lot more leeway in how you relate the choreography to your own life and what you want the message to be.

BSCKids: If you could guest star on another Disney show which one would it be and why? What about a non-Disney show?

Ciara Wilson: If I could guest star on another Disney show, it would definitely be K.C. Undercover. Zendaya is one of my favorite actresses and one of my biggest inspirations. I love how she is so versatile in combining her humor, her serious acting chops, and her incredible dance skills! It would be a blessing to work with Zendaya! There is also a ton of epic fight choreography on K.C. Undercover that I, and Vicki Fuego, would love to be a part of! Also, it would be a dream come true to guest star on Modern Family. It is downright one of the funniest shows on air right now and perfectly captures a modern family. The cast is incredible and it would be an honor to work with them.

BSCKids: Do you get recognized when you go out and what would be your favorite story of meeting a fan?

Ciara Wilson: Yes! It is so heartwarming when fans of Bizaardvark or my personal career come up to me in public. It’s incredible to hear that I’m inspiring them to go into dance, acting, or following whatever their dreams may be. My favorite story of being recognized by fans happened just a few weeks ago! I had just finished a hip hop class at Millennium Dance Complex and right as the class got out, about twenty little girls came up to me asking if I was Vicki Fuego from Bizaardvark! When I confirmed, they all freaked out. We took tons of pictures and I followed them all on social media. The girls told me they just flew in from New York that day and had watched my episode of Bizaardvark on the plane during their morning flight! It was such a crazy coincidence and so much fun seeing their faces light up! 🙂

BSCKids: Who do you think has taught you the most in your acting career?

Ciara Wilson: There are tons of amazing people who have taught me many valuable things in my acting career, I can’t pick just one! My entire team of agents, my manager, my acting coaches, and other influential people in my life have each taught me things I will carry with me forever. My manager, Nita Brochu, has always inspired me to never give up and stay positive. Cheryl Faye, Mea Hack, and Patrick Day are all acting coaches who have taught me to give 110% every time, make bold choices, and always be your unique self. Every little lesson, theory, or advice anyone has given me has all added up and boosted my career to what it is today. This knowledge will continue to push me forward. I am so thankful for everyone who has helped me grow as a person and in my career.

BSCKids: You have a great following on Instagram, can you tell us how you feel about social media as it impacts teenagers? Tell us what you see as the benefits of social media as both an actress and a teenager.

Ciara Wilson: I think Instagram is an INCREDIBLE platform for teenagers in this day and age. Right now teenagers are passionate about what they believe in and want to shout it out to the world. Instagram gives us a platform to speak up and show others what’s going on in our heads. Whether it be an impactful dance concept video, a funny self made comedy sketch, or a self designed feminism t-shirt, we have the ability to put our ideas out there and impact people’s lives. As an actress with a social media following, I am able to reach a large audience when promoting a new project I am involved in. I also love spreading awareness about important charities and shedding light on friends who are doing amazing things in the entertainment industry. As a teenager, I also love using my Instagram as a platform to show my quirky, fun, and lighthearted personality. You’ll find lots of photos captioned with jokes or puns on my account, hopefully to give someone a little chuckle as they scroll through their daily feed. I am a big supporter of social media and I think the opportunities it presents continues to grow!

BSCKids: What music is currently playing on your phone and what is your favorite app?

Ciara Wilson: Currently some of my favorite albums are Melodrama by Lorde, What Do You Think About The Car? by Declan McKenna, and Good For You by Aminé. These are all really young artists who are all incredibly unique and creative! My favorite app is, of course, Instagram! I could spend days scrolling through the Explore page and never get bored!!

BSCKids: Who would you say is your favorite hip hop dance crew? What is your favorite song to dance to?

Ciara Wilson: My favorite Hip Hop dance crew is Boysquad!! They are a group my really good friends who are also insanely talented dancers. These boys have a show on Go90 that follows all of their super cool adventures, which also features them doing an epic dance performance at my 16th Birthday Party! My favorite song to dance to would have to be “Feel It Still” by Portugal The Man. I have two dance videos out on my social media to the song already and I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it!

BSCKids: If you had to pick your favorite picture on your Instagram account which one would it be and why?

Ciara Wilson: It’s so hard to pick just one! I’d say my favorite kind of picture to post is one captioned with a pun. Some of my favorites would have to be: a picture with a rose captioned: “thorn to be wild #punsandroses,” a selfie at the beach captioned: “shellfie!” another beach pic during the holidays captioned: “seas n’ greetings,” and when I physically became a pun during Halloween by being “Stevie Wonder Woman.” Puns as captions are such a fun way to spice up any picture and there are endless possibilities. Because of my multitude of silly captions, people have actually called me the “punniest” person on Instagram!!

BSCKids: Tell us one thing we would be surprised to find out about you?

Ciara Wilson: One surprising thing about me is that my favorite sport is Pickleball! For those who don’t know, Pickleball is basically a combination of ping pong and tennis, played on a small court with a wooden paddle and a wiffle ball. My dad was a competitive player and someday I’d love to enter a Pickleball competition!

BSCKids: What is the one thing that you don’t leave the house without?

Ciara Wilson: One thing I can’t leave the house without, other than my phone, is my portable speaker! The speaker I have is from AudioPet and fits in the palm of my hand. It always comes in handy when I’m hanging with friends, having an impromptu dance session, or just want to show someone my new favorite song!

BSCKids: Where can we find you on social media and the web?
My social medias are:

Instagram: @dancin_seabear
Twitter: ciarawilsonxo
Snapchat: cheekorox
Youtube: ciarawilsonxo
Website: ciarawilson.net

BSCKids: What do you have upcoming in your career you can tell us about? Can you tell us anything about this new dance concept video you have been working on?

Ciara Wilson: Yes, I have been working on a lot of dance projects lately! I was just involved in a concept video by choreographer Bobby Dacones that had a super fun 1960’s vibe. I’ve been working with him on many other exciting projects lately that will be released soon! I am also creating a series of one minute self-choreographed dance segments to be released exclusively on Instagram! I have never released any videos of my own personal choreography, so I am super excited to share that. As for other projects, stay tuned on all my social medias to get the first look when they come out!

Special thanks for Ciara Wilson for taking the time out her busy schedule to talk with BSCKids!