This Thursday sees the release of Celestina Harris’ most recent project, when she plays Lizzi in the new series of Dr. Death, working with her on-screen mother Mandy Moore as Benita Alexander. Celestina played Maddie in the Christmas film Yuletide the Knot, and in Special Ops: Lioness, she was cast as Charlie alongside her on-screen family Zoe Saldana, Dave Annable and Hannah Love Lanier. Further screen work for Celestina has included Chicago P.D. and the mini-series Angelina, and she plays Mandy in the podcast series Adventures of Cairo. Catching up with Celestina, we found out from her about her upcoming role of Lizzi in Series 2 of Dr. Death, playing Charlie in Special Ops: Lioness and working on the podcast series Adventures of Cairo as Mandy.

What can you tell us about your character Lizzi in the new series of Dr. Death and what is she like to play?

Lizzi lives in Brooklyn, New York with her mother and loves fashion! She’s been through a lot but keeps her positive energy! She is so fun to play because she’s just like me, we share a love for fashion!

How was your time on set of the series and joining the cast for Series 2 alongside Mandy Moore as your on-screen mother Benita Alexander?

My time in NYC was pretty amazing and getting to work with Mandy Moore as my mom was such a privilege. She’s such an amazing mom to her boys and I thought it was pretty neat to be her set daughter. When I auditioned, I didn’t know Mandy was going to be my mom and when my mom told me she was Rapunzel, I screamed – I was happy!

What are you looking forward to for the release of Dr. Death?

I cannot wait to see the entire series because I was working a lot of the time in a studio so I’m so curious to see how my home and room show up on the big screen.

You play Maddie in Yuletide the Knot, what was it like working on a Christmas film?

Snow was amazing! I am from TX and we never really get snow so when we got there, I was super excited to play in it. It was my first Christmas movie and I was super excited beause Christmas is my favourite holiday.

Was there anything that drew you to Maddie and how was it reading the script for the first time?

Maddie is an only child and super smart. She plays the piano and sings for school and is surrounded by a whole bunch of creative women, which I thought was so amazing because I LOVE art.

How did you feel finding out you’d booked the role of Charlie in Special Ops: Lioness and how would you describe the character?

Charlie is raised mainly by her dad and is so sweet and loving. She doesn’t get to see her mom that much but when she does, she’s SUPER excited to see her. When I booked this role, my parents surprised me with my first “booked it” cake! It was a pretty special celebration.

What was it like filming alongside your on-screen family Zoe Saldana, Dave Annable and Hannah Love Lanier?

Hannah and I bonded instantly. When we had days off, we went around Baltimore hanging out at pumpkin patches and eating super yummy food, so when we got on set, it was like a real sister relationship. Zoe is a star! I got to watch her filming some scenes when I wasn’t filming and I was just in awe at how natural she plays her character. Dave is such a girl dad in real life and in the show so he was silly with me all the time and that made our chemistry on camera super strong.

Can you tell us about the podcast series Adventures of Cairo, in which you play Mandy, and what is it like to be part of?

This was my first podcast and it was an amazing experience. We would have Zoom readings with the whole cast and it was so interesting to see some actors transform their voices for the characters. Mandy is a smarty pants girl who loves to play by the rules so I really enjoyed playing her character! My favourite episode is when we were at a swimming pool and Cairo was learning how to swim because it was recorded around the same time I was learning how to swim in real life.

Over your career so far, you have worked on a number of other projects including Chicago P.D., the mini-series Angelina and commercials, can you say about some of them?

Chicago P.D. was my first experience with fake blood, which was very interesting. My little brother was very sad when he saw my episode so I think I did a good job acting, haha. Angelina had such a great cast and crew and I enjoyed riding in a car with the cameraman filming me from the front seat.

How did you get into acting and was it something you always wanted to do?

My big sister was in musical theatre so I grew up watching her on stage. I didn’t really get into acting until I was seven and I started local commercials. I found out quickly that I loved being in front of the camera.

What are some of your favourite films and TV shows to watch?

My favourite movies are The Greatest Showman and The Boss Baby.

How do you like to spend your free time?

I love to sketch in my notebook that I take everywhere. I also enjoy hanging out with my friends and family. Soccer, swimming and volleyball are sports I have played and really enjoy. I joined the swim team to conquer my fear of being underwater and ended up enjoying it so much.

Do you have a favourite aspect of acting on screen?

I don’t like to see myself acting but I enjoy seeing all the work that goes into making the magic happen like how many camera people there are and how many mics there are on set and how many fake walls there are, haha.

What are you hoping the next year brings for you and do you have any projects coming up that you can tell us about?

I hope to book a lead role in 2024, that’s on my bucket list. You’ll have to follow me for more cool news on Instagram.

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