Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick Thurston.
Hi Nick, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I first came to Los Angeles to go to college at USC.
At the time, acting was everything to me. When I graduated high school in 2006, their conservatory program was considered one of the best in the country. I got in, my family helped me afford it, and that fall I packed my stuff in our old silver minivan and headed to LA.
College was a blur of new experiences. The faculty was engaged and supportive. The students were outrageously gifted. I got on stage a lot, gained confidence in my abilities, and made wonderful friendships. I loved every minute of my time at USC.
I started working professionally during my junior year, so my transition out of school was easier than it had any right to be. In those first few years, I was given countless opportunities. I guested on a bunch of TV shows, did a handful of movies, and was able to make my living as an actor. I was 100% committed, worked hard, and was rewarded with the chance to work with some of my heroes.
I did a pilot with Gavin O’Connor, auditioned for Renee Zellwegger, and tried to figure out what to say to Edward Norton at a party. I spent five months working with Andy Serkis, Terry Notary, and Gary Oldman on Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. I went to Haiti after the earthquake in 2010 to volunteer with Sean Penn’s nonprofit.
It was an incredible, unpredictable time. There were lots of crazy nights and lots of crazy people. I jumped out of planes, shot guns, and rode horses. I made a fool out of myself at parties and had wild love affairs with extraordinary, brilliant women who were way out of my league.
During a period when work was slow and I was asking myself some tough questions, I went down to Patagonia and spent a month or so wandering around and writing poems. When it was time to come home, I got on a week-delayed flight out of Punta Arenas, Chile, and experienced what I can only call serendipity.
I happened to sit right next to the former Dean of USC’s School of Theater, Madeline Puzo. We talked the whole flight back, and she told me about her experiences bringing theater from South Africa, Palestine, and India back to the US. By the time we landed, she had convinced me to start a theater company with my creative partner Matt Little.
Under Madeline’s guidance and in collaboration with some of the most talented people I’ve ever met, we created New Guard Theater Company. For the next two years, we were all gas, no brakes. We produced over 40 pieces of theater and somehow managed to draw big audiences to every show. We performed in churches, abandoned masonic temples, coffee shops, and basically wherever we could get the space. We did comedy, immersive, drama, improv, dance, poetry, and music… we even featured a professional whistler once. We gave a fuck about precisely nothing. We worked endless hours, fought as hard as we laughed, and left everything on the dance floor. We loved one another dearly.
In April of 2017, my best friend and the co-founder of the company suffered a massive brain hemorrhage. He was in the hospital for over a month and entered full-time recovery right after. It was an extremely difficult period for everyone, and unfortunately the theater company did not survive it. Although many of the artists have thankfully gone on to continue working together, that was where my involvement ended.
Since leaving the theater company, I’ve gotten to do a lot of other cool things. Some have involved acting, some haven’t.
I was part of a collaboration with the poet Mandy Kahn on her Peace Project, which involved performances at the Getty Center and the Philosophical Research Society.
I worked with Encompass Films as a field producer in Myanmar, where we filmed a documentary about human/elephant conflict in the farmlands and villages.
Acted in a bunch of stuff. Started a podcast. Got a dog. Went to Burning Man. Climbed a lot of mountains.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The biggest lesson I have learned is gratitude.
There have been periods of time when money has been really tight, stress has been high, and relationships have died too young.
There have been tragedies, losses, and great illnesses.
There are always jobs I wish I could have gotten and others that have been disappointments.
I’ve made a lot of mistakes. I’ve had to find the courage to apologize (and mean it), to grow and learn, and also to forgive myself.
I have been extremely blessed in my life. I have my health, I have my friends, I have my family.
I am living my passions and enjoying every day I wake up and draw breath.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m an actor, writer, and creative producer.
I’ve been working professionally as a stage, on-camera, and voice actor for about 15 years now, and that’s my specialization. For a full list of credits, check out IMDB, but some highlights include Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Reviving Ophelia, Snowfall, American Dad, and White Irish Drinkers.
I do a lot of other stuff, too. I co-founded New Guard Theater Company, built a podcast, and field-produced a documentary about elephants in Myanmar. I write a lot.
I also raised an Australian cattle dog with my girlfriend. That’s probably been the hardest.
Currently:
I’m always acting and always looking for the next project! I’m repped by Brandy Gold at Talentworks for theatrical, Melissa Berger Brennan at CESD for VO, and Rachel Fink Richardson at SBV for commercial.
I produce a podcast called ReRoute.fm. In it, we talk with people whose innovative work and ideas are aimed at bringing humanity toward a better future. Our guests tend to be involved in communities like Effective Altruism, Metamodernism, Stoicism, and Rationalism. It’s available anywhere you get podcasts!
Lastly, (but quite passionately!) I recently finished an epic fantasy novel. It’s about a family struggling to survive during impossible times. It’s full of magic, romance, monsters, swords that have names… things like that. I’m currently on the hunt for the right lit agent… if you happen to know anyone…
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Growing up, I was inseparable from two brothers, Christian and Brendan. Many of my fondest memories from childhood were shared with them.
As I think back now, I see us watching the late afternoon sun fall against the wall in his backyard, playing Star Fox together on the Super NES, or roaming creek beds in the parks near where we grew up.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickontoast/?hl=en
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credits
Dominic Gill, Nicolas Murphy, Tory Stolper, Lisa Keating, Thomas Wyatt
