by Jacqueline Hall
Arielle Raycene was born in Texas but was raised in Kansas. From an early age, modeling and theatre played a major role in her life, and to pursue these passions, Raycene would frequently travel to Los Angeles. During her youth, she joined LA Models and had other modeling-related jobs including posing as a flower child in wedding magazines. With such a merging of worlds, she describes her childhood as a twist of a small town and big city upbringing.
During Raycene’s childhood, another important aspect of her life was photography. She states, “I was obsessed with taking photos of everyone when I was growing up.” She explains that she had so many photos, yet so many lost cameras, which caused her to spend most of her money on buying new ones. With the photos she took, Raycene would spend time making collages and hanging them all over her room.
While pursuing modeling, Raycene always knew she wanted to become an actor. She wanted to do what would get her in front of the television. But as real-life set in and high school graduation was approaching, Raycene was working at a grocery store with hopes of pursuing her passions full time. However, her parents thought getting a college degree was important. So, to focus on getting a degree and acting, she decided to attend college for Broadcast Journalism at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism. Raycene explains that her experience in school was nothing like she initially imagined. She had to work from the bottom and had no crew. She was responsible for setting up, recording, and editing all of her work.
Once graduated, Raycene determined that she did not want to pursue journalism. Even so, she was glad that she earned her degree. She states, “I think if I didn’t, I would have gone to Los Angeles and who knows what would have happened. Los Angeles can be soul-sucking when you’re young. I think I would have eventually gone back to college because I like learning.” She explains that college was a place not only to learn about herself but also to form new skills. From her degree, Raycene took away writing and editing skills, and to this day, she still writes creatively. Over quarantine, one of her ideas was to write a book — one that would be anonymous and would talk about her life and the things she has observed.
After college, Raycene started on her journey, which led her to host events. She was able to do so because of her background in Broadcast Journalism. One of her hosting jobs was a game show in Los Angeles. For the show, she had her segment, in which she would interview different people and was responsible for producing.
Despite being a host, theatre was Raycene’s greater passion. Theatre allows you to put yourself out there, said Raycene.
“You have to trust and push yourself. It’s like a ride with an unknown course. It’s always different. It’s a brave thing for you.”
As a kid, Raycene describes herself as fearless. When it came to theatre, she did not bat an eye. However, as a teen, she experienced awkward and timid times. She became more self-aware, especially when it came to people making fun of theatre. But, once time went by, she began to unlearn what she knew as a teen and, in a way, became a kid again.
In recent years, Raycene has pursued theatre jobs. In 2020, she was the lead actress in the New York City Broadway play “Used.” She was doing the play when COVID hit and Broadway shut down. In the meantime, she did have other small play offers in New York City but, when it comes to her future for theatre, it is a bit undetermined. However, she has so much fun taking on theatre roles. She enjoys being able to take the time to work on her character, which is unlike roles with television and movies. Although closed now, she would like to get involved with Broadway again.
During quarantine, Raycene explained that modeling is at the forefront of her mind compared to big theatre production. As a model, she has been mostly working with brands and makes digital content for social media. When it comes to working with brands, Raycene states, “It’s important to find brands that you believe in and can get behind.” Aside from making digital content, Raycene has lined up is a photoshoot for Maxim magazine!
In addition to modeling, Raycene has been working on her acting craft. She is in her second year of a two-year acting course for Sanford Meisner. She attends class online and it is the first online acting course that the school has offered. When first starting, her class was large. Now, only 12 dedicated students remain. “Every day, we have rehearsals with partners,” said Raycene... “We have been working on impediments and improvisations. We are focusing on building story relationships and creating a whole story; all through improv. We learn how to be in the moment and observe. It’s pretty intense.”
In other COVID news, Raycene also got a puppy: a golden doodle named Pal Boy. She got him from a recycler in Los Angeles. She was adamant about not getting her dog from a puppy mill, due to maltreatment that occurs, and upon meeting him for the first time, she fell in love and had to have him. After bringing Pal Boy home, she realized he wasn't growing very much and a DNA test revealed that he is 50% poodle and 50% mutt!
Apart from her new adventure as a dog mom, Raycene spent much time during quarantine reading. One of her favorite books she’s read recently is “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron. Since having more time, she also began meditating. Raycene states, “I want to focus on being slower. Before, I was always planning and looking forward to things. I started to be more present.” One important thing Raycene learned over quarantine is just to be happy. As she says, “Not happy because of certain things, but just for the simple fact of being happy about yourself.”
