Nic Starr does it all Actor, Producer, Director, and Businessman

Nic’s resume in the entertainment industry is quite impressive. You may recognize him in movies like “The Banker, Tell Me Lies, Survivor’s Remorse” and many more. Nic is originally from Chicago but resides in Atlanta, Georgia. Nic Starr didn’t start out dreaming of being a star he served in the military and during his time in service he was assigned to the theater and that’s where he got his start in acting. 

Was acting something you always wanted to do?

It found me pretty much. I just happened to be around the right people and became exposed to it very young. I was seventeen getting in trouble all the time, so I got sent to a theater to fix lights and pull gum off chairs. The director at the theater saw I might have some talent and gave me an ultimatum. I could keep getting in trouble and do the details or come work for the theater, learn the job and oversee the details, so it worked out pretty good for me.  

In most of your movies your character is usually a tough guy. Are you tough in real life? 

My wife would say I’m a teddy bear. I’m who I need to be when I need to be. Most of the time I’ll give you the shirt off my back but I’m not the one to cross; I’m from Chicago which is my home that’s part of our makeup. And he certainly looks like one of those guys you might be his friend rather than enemy.

What was one of your favorite productions? 

My favorite would be “Fences.” I got to perform this August Wilson piece. It was the first August Wilson’s piece I ever performed, then for it to become full circle and to be able to perform it with my wife thirty years later was special to me.   

How did you meet your wife?

We met on stage. We were in another production with James Baldwin called the “Amen Corner” and she didn’t like me, and the feelings were mutual but we ended up talking about somethings and getting to know each other after we made the mistake of judging each other. We were friends first and then it turned into something special.

What are the business adventures you and your wife are involved in?

Right now, we are in full production of this show called Jitney and I still work with a couple of other theater companies but, we also have a company called Star Enterprises where we take on projects that we love trying to support our youth troop called Young Voices United which is a nonprofit organization where we raise money by putting on quality productions. It also gives us the opportunity to give less seen actors the chance to be seen more. I truly believe in the community theater aspect where you get actors who may not have a big name but can go toe to toe with any of these actors who are equity and making a lot of moves. A lot of times it’s just being afforded the opportunity.  

Where would you like to be in the next five years?

I would love to have my own production company doing our own shows not just theater but I’m talking film as well. I would love to connect with some good writers who know how to tell our stories and tell our truths and shoot quality stuff instead of us being thugs and gangsters all the time. It’s so much more to us and I want to be a part of the people who bring that to the screen. You can find out more about his organization at http://www.youngvoicesunited.net/about.