AMELIE ZILBER ON EMPOWERING THE YOUTH TO IMPACT CHANGE AND HER FIRST ACTING FORAY

PHOTO BY CAITLIN COHEN AND CHRISTINA ZILBER, HAIR BY KILEY FITZGERALD, MAKEUP BY ASH K. HOLM, STYLED BY THOMAS KRISTOS KIKIS

At just 20 years old, model, actress and activist Amelie Zilber (@ameliezilber) is wise beyond her years. While many may have gotten to know her from her rise to fame via TikTok, Zilber’s influence extends far beyond the social media platforms in a much more impactful way.

“The whole reason I got on social media in the first place was to speak about topics that I was passionate about on my platform,” Zilber shares. “I always had a social media account, but it was never for public purposes. It was for friends and family, but when I started to take social media seriously was when I started speaking about politics on my platform. Getting Gen Z to be aware and informed on the world is truly the most important thing for me. I care about nothing if I don’t care about political apathy and youth disengagement in politics.”

Taking to her platform to promote causes or bring awareness to current matters is the reason Zilber has decided to remain active on her social media channels. At the moment, getting young people to register to vote remains at the forefront.

PHOTO BY CAITLIN COHEN AND CHRISTINA ZILBER, HAIR BY KILEY FITZGERALD, MAKEUP BY ASH K. HOLM, STYLED BY THOMAS KRISTOS KIKIS

“Getting young people to register, to vote and showing up to the polls in general is so important. We have midterms next month; it’s approaching a lot faster than I have even realized. And that is definitely one of the issues that I am going to be pushing very strongly on my platform in the coming weeks. But I think when it comes to general social justice issues across the board, I would say gun violence is one that I care very deeply about, as well as racial inequality,” she says.

As she continues to set out to inform her generation and those rising on the issues of our society and how to make a positive change, Zilber also balances a blossoming acting career. She entered this season on hit show Grown-ish, taking on the role of Lauryn—a freshman who is a bit shy and awkward, and deeply religious.

PHOTO BY CAITLIN COHEN AND CHRISTINA ZILBER, HAIR BY KILEY FITZGERALD, MAKEUP BY ASH K. HOLM, STYLED BY THOMAS KRISTOS KIKIS

“Joining the cast of Grown-ish has been one of the best experiences I’ve ever had,” she shares. “When it comes to my day-to-day life, I spend a lot of time alone and I’m not super used to sharing that time with other people. And I was a little bit nervous going into this with that in mind, but I truly made some of the best connections, friendwise, that I’ve ever made in my life. I now have such an appreciation for everyone who works in film and television—it’s incredibly long hours, but at least in my experience on set, everyone was so warm and welcoming and supportive—they were always willing to off er a helping hand if anyone was struggling or feeling exhausted, burned out, whatever it may be.”

Transitioning to acting took time and practice—but like everything in Zilber’s life, she embraced the new challenge wholeheartedly and educated herself on the craft before making her first debut.

PHOTO BY CAITLIN COHEN AND CHRISTINA ZILBER, HAIR BY KILEY FITZGERALD, MAKEUP BY ASH K. HOLM, STYLED BY THOMAS KRISTOS KIKIS

“It’s funny, I never set out to be an actress. I did theater growing up, but I never thought I’d pursue it as a career. But recently, my brother whom I’m very close with told me that when I was 15 he just knew I’d be an actress some day,” she shares. “I found that very interesting because he has always known me to be a very intellectual person—we are very close for many reasons, but one of them is that we are both very intellectually driven, and that’s a side of us we both cherish and care deeply about. For him to say that was eye-opening because he saw that creative part of me before I even saw it in myself.”

On playing her character, Lauryn, Zilber has gotten the chance to channel that intellectual curiosity and delve deeply into her character’s personality and values and educate herself on devout Christianity.

“Aside from getting to work every single day alongside some of my favorite people, I loved the ability to explore religion,” she says. “Lauryn is a very religious girl and I am not a practicing religious person in my own life, so having the ability to dive deep into her perspective through a religious lens was fascinating to me. I crave knowledge and learning, and being able to use acting as another form of education was a very cool experience for me that I did not anticipate having to do—but I loved it.”

Entering the world of television was a tough transition to Zilber—who, as she mentioned, craves her alone time and the ability to disconnect. After working crazy hours months on end, Zilber is now basking in the ability to take some time to herself and reset, achieving work-life balance.

PHOTO BY CAITLIN COHEN AND CHRISTINA ZILBER, HAIR BY KILEY FITZGERALD, MAKEUP BY ASH K. HOLM, STYLED BY THOMAS KRISTOS KIKIS

“I am such an introvert and need to be alone, especially when filming, as much as I love it. There is just something about being by yourself, and it’s really healthy for me,” she notes. “When I’m off , I take the weekends to completely do what I love, which I call ‘corpsing.’ This means lying horizontal on my bed all weekend long, eating lots of food and watching lots of television, because television is my favorite thing to do—it’s my favorite way to learn how others act, and it’s also escapism for me.”

As you can likely already tell, Zilber is a woman with big ambitions, which she will no doubt set out to achieve with her full drive. Motivated by work and creating goals for herself throughout her entire life, she very much has a bucket list she is setting out to accomplish.

“There are so many things I want to accomplish, I honestly don’t think I can list them all, but I would love to work incredibly diligently on my acting career and be worthy of receiving an Oscar some day. In another vein, I’d love to be able to speak on a panel at the U.N. Convention or some sort of mass human rights convention—that would be incredible. I would love to be surrounded by leaders in that field and have the opportunity to communicate with them and speak to them. I would love to travel around the country and speak at schools nationwide to galvanize young people to vote,” she shares.

And of course, on a more personal, nonwork level, she has one of the most glorious dreams I could personally imagine.

“I mean, I would love nothing more than to live on a farm with seven wiener dogs,” she laughs.

Whether it be becoming the next Amal Clooney, accepting a prestigious Academy Award or basking in solitude surrounded by her furry friends, I’m certain Zilber can accomplish whatever she sets her mind to, with a future that remains bright ahead.