Buena: Brainy Beauty From Louisiana

Buena: “I eventually would like to be a part of broadening people’s perceptions of African-Americans. Our lives are pretty diverse. We have quirky romances and coming of age stories to tell. I hate to be pigeonholed.â€?

Where She’s From: Brainy beauty Buena Batiste Webber , whose Zodiac sign is Taurus, was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and raised in a small town called Clinton of 5,000—half an hour from Baton Rouge.

“I am very proud of Louisiana’s unique heritage and culture,” she tells The Black Star News. “One of the many things my mother always told me is that, ‘intelligence is the ability to adapt.’ I am very much aware of the need for me to be capable of managing myself in difference environments and getting along with many different types of people.”

Buena attended Columbia University in New York City. “I majored in music, but I did not launch my acting career until two years after graduation when I saw my life following a new and much more exciting trajectory,” she adds. “I took an acting class and started auditioning. I landed the first three roles that I auditioned for!”

Where She’s At: “My career is in the beginning stages,” she continues. “I am always networking and collaborating with others. One of the things that I am proud of is that I always accomplish what I set out to do. Since I began acting, I have worked fairly continuously while maintaining a full-time job and doing freelance writing and editing work. My schedule is pretty hectic, but I’m thankful for every second of it.”

“My aspiration is to be on the silver screen,” she adds. “I’ve already done a few small film and TV projects, but I am itching to get the ball rolling now. I eventually would like to be a part of broadening people’s perceptions of African-Americans. Our lives are pretty diverse. We have quirky romances and coming of age stories to tell. I hate to be pigeonholed.”

How does Buena deal with some of the industry’s challenges? “As an actress, one of the things that you will hear everyone lamenting about is ‘rejection.’ It can be hard. Sometimes it gets to you, and believe me even the top actors or actresses have been rejected. The only way to combat it is through tenacity. You have to learn how to take a punch and get right back up.”

Where She’s At: “Right now, I’m in rehearsals for a show that is debuting at Theatre for the New City in New York City– an established theatre that has launched the careers of many actors and playwrights. In the past, however, I have been proud of the work that I’ve done when I got to play both Angela Davis and Huey Newton in an all female cast of Black Panther Women and on tour last year as a the lead in a show called From Auction Block to Hip-Hop.”

Buena urges everyone who aspires to a career in the entertainment world to have a tight game plan. “Beauty is worthless without brainpower,” she says. “It’s like luxury car with no motor. Where can you go without it?”

How does Buena prepare to step out? “I don’t really try to lock myself into buying only one brand,” she explains. “Additionally, I really like to find unique things. Because I don’t wear much make up, when I do, I like to wear Bare Mineral Brand, natural make-up. I like to keep my skin looking fresh and clean. I like to shop at thrift stores and mix it with funky original pieces.”

Buena’s Words Of Wisdom: “I’ve heard there are troubles of more than one kind, Some come from ahead, Some come from behind, but I’ve bought a big bat, I’m all ready you see, Now my troubles are gonna have trouble with me!”—Dr. Seuss.
 
Buena’s Secrets Of Success: “Nothing good in life comes fast or free, so WORK HARD!”
Buena’s Favorite Three Movies: “Fight Club, Malcolm X, The Departed.”
Buena’s Favorite Three Books: “Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler; A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess; and The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffeneger.”
Three Black Leaders That Inspire Buena Most: “Josephine Baker, Malcolm X, Angela Davis.”
First Three Things Buena Would Do As President:  “Free College tuition for everyone who has the mental capacity for collegiate study at the university of their choice; Compulsory HIV/AIDS testing on a yearly basis to stave the epidemic; and reform of discriminatory penal codes such as the Rockefeller Drug Laws.”

For more about this this brainy talent and to discuss work please see:  http://www.myspace.com/muybuena 

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