{"id":8860,"date":"2021-03-04T01:03:50","date_gmt":"2021-03-04T01:03:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nyglamour.net\/?p=8860"},"modified":"2026-02-03T04:06:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T04:06:07","slug":"devin-nelson-extraordinary-actress-with-big-dreams-in-cinema","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nyglamour.net\/?p=8860","title":{"rendered":"Devin Nelson: Extraordinary Actress with Big Dreams in Cinema"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Devin Nelson was born in NYC – her parents thought it would\nbe better to move to Long Island. She was aptly named after an “All My\nChildren” character, and quickly displayed a flair for the dramatic. As\nthe daughter of a law enforcement officer and a librarian, Devin was taught to\nvalue discipline and storytelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her childhood was spent forcing playmates to act in\nsketches she authored, as well as creating her own original content – a notable\nproject being a commentary on the O.J. Simpson trial at the age of four.\nGrowing up on MTV and SNL, it seemed natural for her to start studying dance\nand acting early on – performing in musicals at Gateway Playhouse in elementary\nschool and ultimately earning a BFA in Acting at Marymount Manhattan College.\nHer love of performing carried her through her tumultuous teenage years,\nallowing her to cope with her mother’s illness and parents’ subsequent divorce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to honorable achievements in acting, including\na Breakthrough Performance Award at the International Filmmaker Festival of New\nYork, Devin has experienced a slew of varied achievements. From performing in\nThe Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, to viral videos about dead pop stars, and a\nstint on $100,000 Pyramid opposite R&B legend Usher, her life has been a\nseries of happy surprises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lifelong theatre geek, her most memorable roles include Juliet in a puppet-infused version of the Shakespeare classic, as well as Hermia in \u201cA Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream.\u201d She also co-wrote and starred in the play \u201cThe Rare Upper Hand,\u201d which premiered at the Davenport Theatre. As for her work in film, it was Devin’s star turn in the indie feature “One Bedroom” opposite Darien Sills-Evans that garnered her national and international festival attention. She is currently (as of Fall 2020) working on her own projects, which include a series based on her public transportation experiences in NYC and a one woman show inspired by her teenage social media exploits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photography by Van Corona<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tell us a little\nabout yourself, growing up and your passions. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Devin Nelson: <\/strong>I\nwas fortunate in that I discovered acting at a very early age. As a very young\nchild I was obsessed with MTV and choreography-driven music videos (Michael and\nJanet Jackson and Paula Abdul especially), which led me to taking dance\nclasses. My hometown dance studio had a good relationship with the professional\ntheatre in my neighborhood, so at the age of 8 I “caught the bug” and\nstarted performing in local musical theatre productions. My first production\nwas “Showboat,” and being around a predominantly Black cast filled\nwith Broadway veterans gave me an incredibly inspiring window into the world of\nprofessional actors who looked like me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are you\ncurrently working on?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Devin Nelson: <\/strong>Currently,\nI’m making the most of my COVID-induced downtime by taking class, pitching\nmyself to agents, and developing my own projects. Zoom has opened up a lot of\npossibilities and creative opportunities when it comes to virtual auditions, and\nI’ve been having a lot of fun getting out of my comfort zone while making the\nmost of this unusual situation.   <\/strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the most challenging role you have played and\nwhy? <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Devin Nelson: <\/strong>I’m meeting with an agency that has heavy theatre\nconnections, so I decided to challenge myself by doing a scene from August\nWilson’s play, Joe Turner’s Come and\nGone.<\/em> I play Mattie, a young woman from\nthe south in 1911. Tackling the southern dialect while internalizing the\nmannerisms and sensibilities of someone over a century removed from myself was\na huge undertaking. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the most fun one? <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Devin Nelson: <\/strong>I did a virtual reading of a new play called Randy’s Dandy Coaster Castle<\/em> by Alex Perez, which takes place at a dysfunctional\ntheme park in Florida. Objectively, it seems like a miserable place to work;\nthe staff is comprised of misfits and the park mascot is a giant rat. But my\ncharacter, Burgess, really needs this job – she’s eager to learn the ropes and\nbond with the fellow employees. Adopting her can-do attitude while transporting\nmyself to a COVID-free universe was extremely fun. Plus, the play is hilarious.\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Describe your biggest accomplishment to date?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Devin Nelson: <\/strong>Surviving 2020. Seriously, all of us deserve awards for enduring this year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Devin Nelson and Darien Sills-Evans in One Bedroom<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Who is your favorite director to work with and why?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Devin Nelson: <\/strong>Darien Sills-Evans, who you know from the 2018 IFFNY\nfestival. He’s an actor himself, so he understands how to communicate with the\ncast to produce the best take. He’s also incredibly conscientious and\nprofessional – whenever I had to film an intimate scene he would always take\nthe time to check in and make sure I was comfortable, which really put me at\nease and made me feel secure. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have you ever considered branching out into directing or\nscreenwriting?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Devin Nelson: <\/strong>I’ve directed for the stage before; a production of the\nplay Candy Land <\/em>by Ben Snyder. It’s a story highlighting the various\nhustles you encounter on the subway – particularly the young Black and Latinx\nkids who sell candy. It was really fun utilizing elements such as sound and\nspace to capture the gritty mood of that setting. I’m also pushing myself to\nfocus on screenwriting; my friend and I wrote a series together inspired by the\nmicroagressions she’s faced as a Black artist in Los Angeles, and I have some\nsolo ventures in development as well. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where have you played a lead role? What was the character\nabout?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Devin Nelson: <\/strong>My favorite lead role is one you’ve seen! Melissa in One Bedroom, <\/em>which\nis now available on Amazon Prime. Her story is so relatable; who hasn’t<\/em> wound up\nwith a deadbeat lover against their better judgment? Her decision to break up\nwith her long term boyfriend, Nate (played by Darien Sills-Evans) and move out\nof their coveted Brooklyn apartment can be seen as a brave reclamation of\nself-love, and also a clever commentary on gentrification. Melissa probably\nwould’ve left sooner if the rent wasn’t so cheap!  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you weren\u2019t acting what would you be doing?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Devin Nelson: <\/strong>I’d definitely be a full time dance teacher for kids.\nDance will always be a great love of mine, and I adore children. I think the\nreason I get along with them so well is because I remember my childhood so\nvividly, along with the people in my life who made the greatest impression on me\nin my youth. Teaching a child a skill that endows them with self confidence and\na creative outlet is an incredible experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What television\nshows or show would you love most to be on?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Devin Nelson: <\/strong>I\nwant to be on Insecure. <\/em>I need to play Issa’s couch-surfing younger\ncousin or Molly’s incompetent intern. It will happen.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What’s your goal\nfor this coming year?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Devin Nelson: <\/strong>Complete\nall these writing projects in my head and get back on set! I miss people. And\ncraft services. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is your advice for aspiring actors? <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Devin Nelson: <\/strong>Don’t do it unless you absolutely love acting. Focus on the acting, and not making money or being famous. This is a really hard business full of rejection and uncertainty, so you need to be able to counter that with unwavering faith in yourself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Still from the film One Bedroom<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*Article Cover Photo by: David Muller Photography<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Devin Nelson was born in NYC – her parents thought it would be better to move to Long Island. She was aptly named after an “All My Children” character, and quickly displayed a flair for the dramatic. As the daughter of a law enforcement officer and a librarian, Devin was taught to value discipline and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8861,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8860","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nyglamour.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8860","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nyglamour.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nyglamour.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nyglamour.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nyglamour.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8860"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nyglamour.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8860\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19218,"href":"https:\/\/nyglamour.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8860\/revisions\/19218"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nyglamour.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8861"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nyglamour.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8860"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nyglamour.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8860"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nyglamour.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8860"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}