Story & Lesson Highlights with Nicole Starrett of LA, NYC and Toronto

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Nicole Starrett. Check out our conversation below.

Nicole, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Impromptu dance parties with my family in our kitchen… or pretty much anywhere. It’s a great way to start the day, or end the day, or just get out of our heads and into the moment together.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hey, I’m Nicole Ruth Starrett. My comedy friends call me Nikki. I’m an actress, producer, and … life explorer!

I have been working in entertainment for about 15 years, telling smart, heart-forward stories, whether I’m acting in them or helping bring them to life from the ground up.

Brand wise, you could say I’m like sunshine… with a plot twist. I love stories that make you feel something real, as well as laugh, but also make you question yourself, and your world view.

I’ve worked on film and tv projects that range from indie gems to long running TV shows. My first appearance on screen was in 30 ROCK, and you can catch my face starring with Camilla Belle and James Franco in THE MAD WHALE on Amazon. My most recent project with JK Simmons in LITTLE BROTHER, which I also helped produce, on Apple TV. I’ll be starring in the upcoming horror BLOOD WINE with Amanda Detmer next.

So yeah, stay tuned! It’s about to get interesting…

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I guess I was a kid with big feelings, a strong analytical side, and a penchant for singing too loud at the dinner table.

Then, somewhere along the way, I decided to be practical, and go into education because that’s what women in my family did. I was studying to be a secondary ed Spanish teacher (¡en serio!) and made it all the way to student teaching in a high school.

However, when I got to student teaching, felt like I had been sentenced to a life run by bells. Literal school bells moving me and the kids around. It felt like being in prison.

I remember sitting in my car one early morning, dread filling my body in that blue pre dawn light, thinking, “Who signed me up for this?” Oh wait, I did. Because I thought I needed a smart, fallback career, I’d made someone else’s backup plan my actual life. I had said yes to the prison of Plan B, before I’d even figured out Plan A.

So, for Plan A, I asked myself, when was the last time I felt truly ALIVE? And I remembered: I was on stage in high school, in the musical Guys and Dolls. I was singing this funny little number, with so much heart and pain at its core called “Adelaide’s Lament”. And at that moment singing, I could SEE the audience feeling it too. And their faces and energy, in turn, changed ME right back, mid-song. And I could feel that new version of the song changing THEM right back. That feedback loop was… everything. Electricity. LIFE! (Ok, sorry for the Young Frankenstein moment. But you get the picture.)

Anyways, I’m a tiny bit of a nerd (hello!) I was studying some computer theory on the side in college, and when I thought about that experience, my brain lit up: “Performance is a cybernetic system. A living, breathing, emotional feedback loop! Now THIS is interesting!”

So, yeah, I quit student teaching, and shifted my thesis to explore that spark of life and performative communication. I took an acting class that summer, met some amazing teachers, did a couple scary auditions and by fall, I was training on Broadway at Circle in the Square Theatre School.

So, before the world told me who to be, I was already this performer-explorer at heart. And it took a high school parking lot existential crisis and a book on cybernetics to remember that sweet; silly, innovative little girl.

When you were sad or scared as a child, what helped?
The swingset. It always felt like, no matter what was going on, I could go on the swings and feel calm and free. It’s kinda like flying… you get a new perspective, soothing motion, and the air calms you. I still love going on the swings to this day!

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
One lie the industry just looooves to tell is that you can’t get old, and still work. That you’ll age out, and no one will care. This may be true for women in general as our society is currently set up, so the solution to this, in my opinion, is to create your own work.

Look at Angela Lansbury, not only acting in but also producing “Murder She Wrote.” I kinda see my life on a similar track. I always say that I’m gonna hit really big when I’m able to play grandma roles.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If you laid down your name, role, and possessions—what would remain?
My wise, firey heart… and my backbone.

Someone once said to me, “When a baby is developing in the womb, you know what develops before the brain? The heart… and the spine.”

I try and live by that. I trust my heart because it’s older and wiser than my brain. And I trust that my spine will help me take the steps I need to get myself (and my friends!) get there.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/truenstarr
• Other: https://IMDb.me/nicolestarrett

Image Credits
Kevin Mazur