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CP: You know, I would say my very first role was my favorite. So 2006 was my very first, I would say, professional acting role. Prior to that, I did like a PBS special talking about the Louisiana Purchase, and that was my first time on TV, but this right here was my very first movie.

It was called “Flight of Fury,” and it was a movie that starred Steven Seagal. And for me, it was a role that I loved playing, but also career-wise and on a spiritual level, it was everything that I needed to really find empowerment for myself.

So, you know, this was in 2006. I’m from New Orleans; 2005, Hurricane Katrina had hit. And shortly after that, I just was questioning if I even wanted to be an actor, because I had experienced Hurricane Katrina. My family and I, we lost our home. My grandmother had passed away during it, so I was just kind of in a soul-searching type of place.

So I went back home to New Orleans, and I was considering going to medical school, or just finding something else to do where I felt I could be of service to the world. And I don’t know why at that time I didn’t think being an actor had anything to do with contributing anything to the world, but I’ve learned over the years that it does. When you’re being a representative of people’s stories, there are a lot of things that you can do to impact the world.

So I go back home to New Orleans, and I’m just hanging out with my older brother. And I keep getting this phone call from this agent that I knew. And she wanted me to audition for this movie for Steven Seagal. And long story short, I ended up going to the audition reluctantly, and I was very resistant, because I was like, ‘I think I’m not going to do this, I think I want to go and be a doctor.’

But I ended up auditioning for the movie, and I get the role. And the role was all about being a strong woman, using her strength. I mean, she was an undercover CIA agent. So, you know, I get flown out to Romania, never been to Europe ever. I’m there for six to eight weeks. And, it was just really a test for me, but also strengthening for me as well, which I felt like was a blessing from God to be like, ‘Look, this is what I set you out here to do, and you’re going to play this role that’s going to challenge you on so many different levels, but you’re going to get through it.’

And so I did. And you know, it’s funny, I look back on it, because it was my first acting role. I was super green, I didn’t know left from right. But I look back at the younger Ciera, and I’m like, ‘You know, you stuck in there, you did that. And you really stepped into your strength.’

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And it was just everything that I needed at that time, especially after coming out of Hurricane Katrina and all the things that had happened during that time. So I would say that was my favorite role. My very first role as Jessica in the movie “Flight of Fury” playing opposite Steven Seagal.

Ciera payton