By Adrienne A. Taylor – Humor Mill

“You cannot judge a book by its cover.” Leila Arcieri has proven this old adage to be true in both her career and her life. She is much more than a pretty face. Leila is an accomplished professional who parlayed modeling and beauty pegeantry into a successful acting career.

Unbeknownst to many, Leila suffered from extreme shyness. She spent the better part of her formative years in the shadows of her peers. In order to conquer her shyness and emerge to the forefront. Leila became involved in cheerleading which was atypical to her behavior because she had always been deemed a “tomboy,” someone who was active in sports such as swimming, volleyball, basketball, and rock climbing.

Leila was born on December 18, 1973 in San Francisco, California, and it was there where she began developing several of her talents. In addition to her sports activities and cheerleading, Leila explored her interest in modeling. Not only did she enjoy the art of modeling, but she also appreciated the careers surrounding the modeling field. After graduating from high school, Leila relocated to Los Angeles so that she could pursue various professions in graphic arts, makeup, and photography. Ms. Arcieri continued to model and use these acquired skills to win the 1997 Miss San Francisco pageant, book commercial work, and appear in several music videos. In the midst of these numerous pursuits, Leila managed to start a publishing business and act in her first television series – Mad TV (1997).

Leila performed in many film and television parts, but it was not until writer/producer Timothy the comical Jamaica St. Croix. This role segued Leila into many more acting performances which were both dramatic and comedic in nature. Some of these film and television projects were XXX (2002), Las Vegas (2006), and CSI:Miami (2006).

All of Leila’s hard work and dedication has now materialized. This year alone, Leila is starring in four new films namely The Killing of Wendy (2008), a comedy starring Vanessa Bell Calloway; Love N’ Dancing (2008); Buffalo Bushido (2008), a drama with Jesse L. Martin; and, the Untitled Kanye West HBO Project (2008).

Apparently, Leila has overcome her childhood shyness and transformed all or her talents and acquired skills into a thriving acting career which continues to accelerate. So, the next time you see a pretty “book” and assume that there is nothing more to it than its beauty, you should open it and take a closer look. You just might find a model/athlete/graphic artist/business woman/phenomenal actor on the inside.