Meet Nadel Henville

We recently connected with Nadel Henville and have shared our conversation below.

Nadel, we’ve been so fortunate to work with so many incredible folks and one common thread we have seen is that those who have built amazing lives for themselves are also often the folks who are most generous. Where do you think your generosity comes from?

My generosity was molded and shaped by my mother. She was an incredible woman that I lost when I was about to turn 15, and everything she has done and everything she did has stuck with me. She was someone who constantly had the world on her shoulders. She was a single mother of 8 children, worked as a live-in nurse every day of the week, was pursuing her citizenship, and still found time for the folks that she loved. She always gave whatever she could, if she had the capacity, and never said no to anyone in need. She’d help a stranger at a moment’s notice, give her last $20 to someone in front of her in the line at CVS, and would still find a way to get me that book that I wouldn’t put down as soon as we got in the store. She led with her heart, with love, because she knew this world needed more of it everyday. She’s the person who taught my to love first and foremost in all situations, and I will continue to do so in her memory.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am a multi-hyphenate actor, playwright and producer that resides in New York City. I’m originally from the island of St. Lucia, before my family settled in Connecticut before I went to Boston, MA for Undergrad until 2022. I found theater when I was in high school, when my music department decided to put on the musical Annie. My friends and I auditioned, and though I was terrified, I was relegated to an ensemble orphan before another student dropped out and I became the principal orphan by the name of Kate. I like to joke that I only get leads when someone else drops out and they decided it was meant for me the whole time.

The process was something pretty close to what I call magic. It taught me confidence, that I was a strong mover, and that the power of the stage brought something to me I never knew I had inside myself. Ever since I’ve pursued acting and the creation of art in what speaks the most to me. I’ve honed my skills in producing plays, writing them, acting in them, and I’m slowly making my way into film as well! Those three skills are what make up who I am as an artist and as a collaborator. The most exciting part of my journey is how much I can connect with people. The amount of stories and lives I encounter through this profession is beautiful. Every project I work on, there’s something new and precious about every portion of the process, and you always get to learn something new along the way.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Three qualities and skills that have been the most impactful for my journey are: openness, vulnerability, commitment. Those three things have really shaped who I am as an artist constantly creating work in the city. You need to be open to all the opportunities that are coming your way. You don’t have to say yes to all of them, but come at them with an open mind.You need to be vulnerable in the art that you are creating, so that everyone knows the kind of person that you are. A lot of rooms you step into in this city can be really cold and sterile, but the more vulnerable you are and the more that you can connect with others the better the process will be. Commitment is also a big thing–and not like commitment in terms of like “Oh I’m doing this contract I have to do it”–commitment to the world, commitment to the people around you, commitment to doing the best art that you can in the space that you are in. You want to give as much as you can to what you are creating; whether that’s your 10%, your 80% or you’re 100%, you want to commit as much as you can to your projects so that you never feel like you’re not giving enough.

Some advice that I would give to folks who are early in their journey is to have as much fun as you can! Meet as much people as possible! The more people you find to collaborate with, the more you’ll find that the work becomes easier. You are working with people that you trust. and once you’re creating with your community, then that’s when true magic happens. And if you find people that you don’t necessarily think you can work with again, you know, dust your feet off and let it lie and understand that you learned something. You learned how strong you can be, you learned how resilient you can be, and you learned what not to do in your next gig. That’s the beauty of always working on something new every now and then.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

I am always looking for folks to collaborate with! I love meeting new people to collaborate with. The kind of people that I like to collaborate with are folks that embody all of the qualities I’ve said before. Also people who are willing to have fun, and take risks, and understand that the journey is one of the best parts of this industry. We won’t always make money, a lot of the time our wallets will hate us, but our hearts will know there is nothing better in the world. I love folks who support and show up for their community. I love learning and laughing– I mean… we are playing pretend. We get to help people play pretend! 10 year old me is having the time of her life.

I do this for the 10-year-old that constantly had soap operas in her head that no one understood; I do this for the 20-year-old that had no idea she was going to do this the rest of her life; and I do this for future me to have no regrets. (I mean I have regrets now, but to have no BIG regrets). If anyone would love to collaborate with me I am reachable at my email: [email protected], as well as on Instagram: @itsnadel .

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nadelhenville.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsnadel/

Image Credits

Clown Photo: Scott Fetterman ([email protected])

Blue Top Headshot Photo: Sy Chounchaisit (www.sychounchaisit.com)

Floral Set Photo: Juan Carlos Quimper (www.studiovic.com