Nancy Rizk is an Australian born actress of Middle Eastern heritage who has been getting her paws wet in Los Angeles following her success in her homeland of Melbourne, Australia.
A graduate of the Howard Fine Acting Studio and teachings of Ted Brunetti she has recently landed a role on a new TV series entitled “Emergency LA” as series regular Jennifer Jackson (J.J.). This is being produced and filmed in none other than Los Angeles itself. The heartbeat of the industry.
Nancy is a very strong actress and her dominance on screen is second to none. Nancy is a welcome breath of fresh air who pushes the boundaries and standards for strong female leads. Combat trained, Nancy loves sword fighting, archery, street fight for film and enjoys getting dirty (on set!) She also speaks multiple languages and loves to push herself to the outer limits of her potential.!
Additionally, Nancy has returned back from LA where she has been living and working and most importantly building her resume to the standard of a very accomplished actress.
🎬🎥NOMINATION for #BESTENSEMBLE. #thankyou @NYCwebfest for this wonderful #nomination #fulldisclosurewebseries #NYC #webseries #aussiesinnyc pic.twitter.com/A3JwY9E3YP
— Full Disclosure (@FullDisclosure0) October 15, 2017
Her most recent accomplishments include, Deadly Women, The Veil, Cult Girls and The Goose just to name a few as well as the TV series Counter Play. Nancy has also put on her writer and producer’s hat and has produced her very own series Full Disclosure. There is more to come.
She is the epitome of hard work and dedication to the craft and as Nancy always states, “there is no rest for the wicked”.
indieactivity: Did you study acting?
Nancy: I have studied acting at the Howard Fine Studio in LA and Australia as well as Ted Brunetti Studio in LA. I love training and getting into the actor’s gym regularly as it keeps you fresh and ready to go. My coaches Laura Gardner and Ted Brunetti have a very long and impressive resume so working with the best makes you want to work harder. I believe as an actor your tools need to be accessible at all times and you must have all the ingredients to bring the character to life. No short cuts, just hard work and dedication.
indieactivity: What acting technique do you use?
Nancy: Working at the Howard Fine Studio and Ted Brunetti Studio, we work on the Stanislavski Method. Our tools come from Uta Hagen which Ted personally worked with her for many years so it’s a blessing to have a coach who worked so close with her. We work on emotional recall, sense memory and creating a whole life for your character and having triggers that you and your character can identify with. Being authentic and free is key. It is truly magical once you can switch over and become someone else.
indieactivity: You’re an experienced actor, how much creative, energy or focus do you put into your scenes?
Nancy: Be it an audition or booking a role, you must commit to your character 200%. The preparation of your character is vital. When I get a script, I sit down and read it. It’s not about the lines for my character it’s about the details of the script.
You are basically Sherlock Holmes and you need to know every detail and understand the script back to front. The lines don’t come into action till you fully understand your character background, the story and all the juicy stuff that comes with exploring. Once you know all that, the lines fall into place. But you need to know why your character is saying what they are saying. It’s a heavy process but so enjoyable.
indieactivity: You have worked on: She’s Not So Ordinary, The Goose, Cult Girls, The Veil, Full Disclosure, How has each show impacted your work and career?
Nancy: Each project I have worked on has been completely different in a few aspects. Being on set a short film is different to being on set a web series or a feature film. All have a unique feel about them. I love playing new and exciting roles and in She’s Not So Ordinary I play Katie a hell vixen which is the complete opposite on The Goose where I play Isabella whose mother is struggling with old age.
The Veil was a great set to be on as it was an award-winning script and I was working alongside a great friend and producer George Basha, that story was intense as it was about a Muslim family and I played the mum of the daughter who’s face got burnt by hot oil. In Cult Girls I was the SWAT team who saves the day, so I had to be physically ready and have all the training needed with firearms. Full Disclosure is my baby as I wrote, produced and acted in it. It was such a fun set to be on especially when you take a second to look around and think, did I actually put this together. I play Mila, the sassy hot tongued gal with a tendency to choose the wrong men, but with the help of my friends it shows strength in numbers.
indieactivity: How does the work you do on one show, say “Full Disclosure” compare to “The Veil”?
Nancy: The difference in the Veil and Full Disclosure is that the Veil was a short film, so camera set ups are different, the way its shot and set up is different and there isn’t as much dialog as it’s a short film. With Full Disclosure that was a series, so we actually shot the last episode first and the shooting days a longer, more setting up, and multiple wardrobe changes.
Sometimes we shot 4 different scenes in one day so you have to know your script. You have multiple shots to shoot especially with a bigger ensemble and it’s a longer process. Both are so very enjoyable in different aspects.
indieactivity: Let’s take “Full Disclosure”, for example, how did you prepare for such a role: the cast, the physicality the terrain, the climate, weather and the demands of the show?
Nancy: Full Disclosure was insane. Not only did I have to make sure I had the character and relationships down I was producing so my job was even more difficult. However, the crew were brilliant and made sure when it was time for me to get into character they continued on and held down the fort.
Becoming Mila was always fun. I would take my time going back through the script and remembering key points that led me to that moment. Previous circumstances. Most nights we actually shot till 4 am in -4 degrees so it was a challenge to stay focused and not freeze our bottoms off. We used to rehearse together beforehand weeks before and on the day in the space so we knew what it felt like. As an ensemble cast we always made it work.
indieactivity: Explain on e creative choice you made on Full Disclosure?
Nancy: There were so many creative choices I took not only for myself but as a group we really bounced off each other. If you have watched Full Disclosure you will see the craziness we got up to. If I had to choose one it would be Episode 1- All Eye’s On You, our wonderful director Philip Asaad made some wonderful choices and at the time I didn’t see it but when it came together it was brilliant.
That was an extremely difficult scene to shoot, as it was action based and a lot of running in the dark. My interpretation I got from him was that I wanted to be in and out with a devil and angel on my shoulders.
indieactivity: Describe a memorable character you played?
Nancy: A memorable character I played recently was on Deadly Women, a Beyond Production that will air at the end of this year on Netflix and the crime channel. This was a true story about a lady Zatoon Bibi who killed her lover because he loved his wife more. Becoming a character like that was very hard. Taping into a killer’s mind isn’t easy and a lot of research had to be done. You have to go to a happy place after shooting when you are playing a character like that. But it was definitely the most memorable and challenging for me.
indieactivity: What do you want most from a director?
Nancy: What I value most from a director is direction and a great relationship. It is their vision so it is vital we sit down and chat about what they are after. This is best done before hand so that when we are shooting I know what they want and there are minimal interruptions.
indieactivity: What actors do you long to work with?
Nancy: Al Pacino!
indieactivity: Why?
Nancy: I grew up watching Al Pacino and all his interesting characters and wished to be alongside him one day. The GOD of film. When I met him in 2015 that was the day I ticked the top of my bucket list off. He is authentic, real and genuine and to be working with Al Pacino would mean I get to see his process and how he does it. When you respect an actor as much as I do him, just being in their presence can be a creative shock to push you even further.
indieactivity: What advice would you give to actors?
Nancy: DON’T QUIT! This industry is hard, you need thick skin, a personality and for the love of god don’t be a diva. Work your butts off and train. Training is vital. Do unpaid gigs, get your credits up and you should be submitting yourself daily for short films and student films.
A Casting Director once told me this when I first moved to LA from Australia which has stuck with me for years. If you aren’t booking every short film/student film back home what makes you think you can book a major feature film in the big city. Needless to say, from that point I worked my butt off.
indieactivity: Briefly write about your career?
Nancy: My career has been crazy. Living and working between Australia and the US is hard but rewarding. I have built a great network and love what I do. The hard part is being away from family and missing out on life events. But that’s the nature of the beast. I am blessed to have a great family and management team behind me that pushes me beyond my limits.
I am blessed to be able to self-tape where ever I am in the world. I have played some crazy characters and love changing it up. It gives me a sense of accomplishment every time it’s a wrap on set. I love training my own stunts and will give anything a go. With Full Disclosure being released now I can focus on season 2 and submitting it to festivals worldwide. I also have another series I am writing that is a very dark piece and producing a Sci-Fi series. I can’t talk about the last two just yet. But definitely watch this space for future updates.
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