If She Ruled the World…

By Tricia Richards

It’s amazing to think that one short year ago I was just another fan who had discovered and loved Anyone But Me and the amazingly talented ensemble of actors, actresses, writers, and directors who hold it all together. Now here I am, helping to run a fansite for one of the most influential webshows on the internet today. I never expected to be interviewing any of these people, so needless to say I was both thrilled and terrified when Nicole Pacent so quickly and enthusiastically responded to the tweet I sent her on a whim that day in my high school’s cafeteria, requesting an interview for the site. This was an actress whom I admired for both her talent and simply for being her and so willingly sharing her story with both a demographic that so desperately searches for guidance, and also those who simply want to get to know the girl behind the intriguing character that is Aster.

As the day of the interview drew closer I became increasingly nervous. I don’t talk on the phone often for fear of awkward lulls in conversation, so I was most definitely concerned with making sure I had a bevy of questions ready to ask her when she called to do the interview. I spent the entire day at school either literally bouncing off the walls in excitement or pouring over my notecards in preparation. In more typical cases I would say that I was nothing if not prepared, but my first interview, of ANY sort, was most definitely not a typical case, so the phrase “I was nothing if not nervous” would be more applicable.

I was constantly reassured by the lovely Gemma that there was nothing to be nervous about, Nicole is a total sweetie, and I shouldn’t have any problems keeping the conversation going. I can now say first hand that she was 100% right. You can be sure that Nicole Pacent is as sweet as they come, as well as a wonderful conversationalist. I had a wonderful 50 minute long chat with her about her work, life, cat, car, and who she would bet her money on if ABM pitted her and Jessy Hodges together in the ring, mano-a-mano.

TR: Hey, how are you doing?
NP: I’m good, right now let’s see… I’m driving back from just having okayed my new headshots, which has been kind of a bigger headache than I thought, so I’m pretty psyched that’s gonna be all done with. And I’m on my way to work. Ew. *Laughs*
TR: And what is work for you right now? Queens of the World training and such?
NP: Actually no, not right now. Right now all the Queens of the World stuff is just all on hold because they’re waiting on their main investor. We started a little bit of the training but then kind of put it on hold. I still personally train a lot and I actually ended up starting to work at my gym, so I’ve kind of reclaimed my inner athlete through this whole thing, which is pretty cool. But as far as Queens of the World is concerned, I’m kind of just waiting in the wings until the investor comes in, so we’ll see.

TR: As we all are. Speaking of Queens of the World – today I received a direct message from Mitchell Adams on Twitter requesting that I ask you to get him a part in the movie.
NP: Oh dear! I don’t know if there’s a part for him! It’s kind of a female-heavy movie! *Laughs* But I will let him know if that’s at all possible! That’s funny that he did that. I don’t know why he didn’t just ask me, he’s seen me so many times… *More laughing*

TR: So, we had our second update on the fansite today, which included an interview with Jessy Hodges, who made a few interesting comments regarding the two of you. Have you seen what she said?
NP: Oh, no, you know what, I saw Gemma’s tweet about that but I did not actually check it because I’ve been running around all morning, so I just kinda laughed and have been thinking about what it possibly could have been. You wanna enlighten me?

TR: Yes! According to the interview, Jessy claims she could totally kick your butt. I’d pull up the direct quote but the site is down at the moment.
NP: Well, it depends. If we’re talking in the realm of like, interpretive dance – probably. I’m gonna go ahead and say that Jessy could like own me on that. But if we’re talking in the realm of getting in the ring with things getting dirty, I’d put all my money on me.

TR: I see, I see. I believe she said something about crazy nunchuck skills or something along those lines.
NP: Oh…well I don’t know about THAT! I guess I’ll just have to talk to her and see where we wanna take that, what route. Maybe we’ll do it like, old style, where they have a bunch of events that you have to compete in. I kinda like that – we’ll have a little field day! She may be taller than me but I can pack a punch!

TR: That was Gemma’s and my thought. We were thinking that would be a good idea for the next webathon. *laughs*
NP: Oh my god! Jessy and I in the ring together? It’s so funny, especially having read some of the fan forum stuff and the comments after the last episode, how it became so divided in terms of Team Sophie vs. Team Aster. I mean, it’s great because it was such a wonderful, very fervent fan reaction, which is exactly what we wanted, you know? So I love to see people are taking sides and arguing over it and whatever, especially because as with all this stuff, it’s a reflection of life anyway, you know? It’s interesting to see where people fall in a situation like that when they watch it. But anyway—it’s funny for me *laughs* because Jessy and I are such good friends in real life! I couldn’t get along with Jessy better. I adore her; there’s really no one who doesn’t. So it’s kind of hilarious to look at that. I just wonder if people really think that we absolutely hate each other, as if we’re in competition with each other.

TR: Nah, I don’t think it came off that way; it was just kind of funny.
NP: Yeah, I figured she was saying it a little tongue in cheek. *laughs*

TR: Of course. Alright, well let’s get down to business! I hear that you’re currently working on establishing a cancer relief organization. Care to tell us a little bit about that?
NP: Of course, yeah, it’s called Relief through Rock. Basically I, unfortunately, have a rather epic history of cancer in my family, which is a huge part of what inspired this, because so many people do, and it’s just so unbelievably out of control that I basically just decided I was going to do something about it because I felt that the universe was telling me it was time, with all these people around me. Basically my mother and her mother, my maternal grandmother, both got breast cancer at the same time in October of 2007. Luckily both are in remission and very healthy, and the next year my mother and I even did the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer and she did it last year again as well, and unfortunately about half a year or maybe a year after they were diagnosed my uncle on my dad’s side was diagnosed with cancer, and he ended up passing away a year and a half ago, which was unbelievably devastating to our family. My voice teacher died this past November from cancer. Basically I went through, somehow, my entire existence, until I graduated college, without someone close to me getting terminally ill or dying or anything, and then I kinda got hit with all of it after I graduated, like, real life kinda striking me in the face. I’ve always been very into outreach and my parents are very wonderful in promoting that, and I seem like after having been an advocate for gay rights for so long that I needed to take this on as well. It just seemed like the right time. In any case, I organized a benefit concert with all female artists. It was like kind of an acoustic night. We held it at the LGBT center in New York City because I kind of liked the idea of connecting the gay rights and the cancer advocacy. So I did that last October. It was called Relief through Rock: Chicks for a Cure. It went unbelievably well; I sang in it and was definitely the least talented person who did—all of my cohorts were absolutely incredible. So it was so successful that my friends and I, actually one of my friends from high school who I did theater with who is just an amazing human being, worked to put that together, we now want take it and work to make Relief through Rock an actual nonprofit. Now, the challenge becomes that I have since moved to Los Angeles, and so we’re on separate coasts, but we’re still working to do that. I would love to be able set up concerts on both coasts; the more exposure the better. In any case, it’s a slow process establishing it, and the fact we both have other careers and whatever, trying to coordinate… But it’s a very exciting thing and I feel really great about it going forward.

TR: That’s really great. It sounds like you’re very passionate about the cause, which is one of the things that I personally think really makes a difference.
NP: It’s just, at this point, too ridiculous. I don’t even know what else to say about it. It’s just ridiculous that cancer is as rampant as it is. Our generation has to do something, or I can’t even imagine what it’s going to be like in several years if we don’t.

TR: Yeah, definitely. Okay, well, let’s move on to acting. How did you get started acting? I know you’ve said you did theater and stuff in high school—did you do anything before that, maybe when you were younger?
NP: Oh yeah I’ve been acting since I could speak, I mean literally. Everything from silly home videos that my family has of us just dancing and singing, to putting on plays with our family friend when they would come over to playing Little Mermaid with my friends on the school playground. I’ve just always been doing it, and any chance to get in a play whether it was at church or at our community theater, I did it. I was in solely musical theater until I was 15. When I was 15 I did my first straight play with no singing. It was funny because that was like a whole new concept to me. I’d grown up singing so I always pictured myself being a musical theater actress. And then when I did this straight play the first time it was just so much fun and I just, I don’t know, it was just a whole new world had opened up to me. I’d always known I’d wanted to do film as well, and it was just interesting to me; I thought, “Wow, maybe I want to focus more on the straight acting stuff and see if I can incorporate the musical theater.” So since then I’ve been doing both. I went to NYU for just straight drama, but I’ve been singing throughout with my teachers and whatever so I had a strong background in that. But yeah, my high school had a wonderful theater program where they do eight shows a year, which is like unheard of, so I got a really wonderful well rounded theater education there which I was able to take with me to college and all that. So this has been, kind of, I don’t know if we want to go so dramatic as to say my destiny, but certainly it’s been the plan and the dream since I could even think to have plans and dreams.

TR: Speaking of musical theater—that was actually going to be my next question! Do you have any particular favorite shows?
NP: Oh absolutely! West Side Story is the first one that comes to mind. I actually played Maria in high school, which is something I’d love to play again. I think that WSS is just…the music is, hands down, brilliant, just absolutely brilliant. There’s not a song in that show that’s even just, “Okay.” Every song has such an impact. I don’t know; it just speaks for itself. Even the show itself has become such a staple in culture, too. I think it really also has that universal message. It’s why Romeo and Juliet has been around for so long, and it’s been able to really take that story and really modernize it and set it to some of the most beautiful music ever written. I just can’t help but love the show for everything that it is. I have a LOT of musicals that I love but that’s the first one that comes to mind.

TR: So would that make Leonard Bernstein your favorite musical theater composer?
NP: Um, I don’t know if I would say that, but he’s certainly up there. I don’t know that I have a favorite composer because honestly I like a lot of different stuff by different people. That kind of speaks to my musical tastes in general—I have a very broad taste in music. So, I love Rodger and Hammerstein—but not all of it. I love Stephen Schwartz—but not all of it I love Sondheim–but not all of it. You know I’m not huge into Andrew Lloyd Webber, really… *laughs* I mean, I do like Phantom—there are certainly beautiful songs from that show. But I just can’t…I don’t know. The whole Andrew Lloyd Webber thing is so 80s in a lot of ways.

TR: *Laughs* Well I can understand that! Now, let’s talk Anyone But Me. How did you get involved in ABM? The usual, “Find out about it, audition, and get cast.” Or did you know people?
NP: What happened was, I was actually on the NYU Alumni list serve. The NYU alumni list serve used to send out audition notices. For some reason they don’t do that anymore, they just post it more on their film alumni and their photography alumni and whatever. So this was maybe six or eight months after I graduated, I saw on the list serve that the writers of The L Word and Thirtysomething was looking to do this web series and they give a breakdown of the plot and the main characters, and of course you know I see “The L Word” and I immediately freak out. I mean, I remember where I was when I read it– I was on my ex-girlfriends bed in her apartment just sitting there on my computer doing emails and whatever and then I saw it and was like, “OHMYGOD.” So I immediately wrote this really passionate email to Tina and Susan and told them: I love the sound of this, I was a huge fan of The L Word, and I really wish something like this had been around when I was going through all of that kind of questioning the sexuality and whatnot in high school—to have a show that focuses on high school students as opposed to all the older demographic who has all that stuff figured out. I just thought that was really exciting. I like the sound of the characters so much that I thought, “You know, I think I can play anything.” So, when I wrote in…Well, when you submit yourself you’re supposed to be very specific about which character you’re submitting for because it makes it easier for the casting director, and it also gives them the notion that you know who you are as an actor and can say “this is the part that I’d be best at”, but I said “honestly, you know, I think I could go in for anything, specifically Vivian or Aster.” I identified immediately most with Aster, but Vivian was the lead, so… you know, I’m an actress!! I can’t not go for the lead, so Vivian would be cool too. *laughs* So they called me in, and actually I found out later that I was past the deadline, but Tina really liked what I said in the e-mail so it pays to be passionate about stuff like that. So they read me for Aster, and then they called me back for actually both Aster and Vivian, I read several times for Vivian as well, and I read with Rachael several times; we switched back and forth parts and read with other people. Anyway, I ended up getting cast as Aster. It’s funny because I remember leaving the audition going, “I know I should want the lead, but I really, really want to play Aster…” I just feel right and more me. I don’t know, it was more fun for me, personally. So when they cast me in that part I immediately was like, “Yeah that’s absolutely right! I’m psyched—let’s do this.”

TR: Did you ever expect the wide response you got? Did you ever think it was going to go as global as it has?
NP: NO! Oh my god, no. When we first started it I was excited because Susan and Tina have such a good reputation, especially with Susan being attached to The L Word, so I thought, you know, that gives us some street cred to be able to build this and a community to advertise to, the lesbian community, because they’ll see The L Word, like I did, and immediately go, “Oh! What is this?” You know? So I felt like we had a chance at something, but who even knew at that point? It was kind if just like, “Are we trying to get this to go to TV? What are we doing really? Are we just going to have it on our website?” It was like every little step that happened, like when AfterEllen wanted to pick us up, then SheWired… When our show started being on several sites and people started asking about us, that’s when I was kind of like, “Woah.” It’s happened little by little since then. Every time something new comes up it’s still surprising and cool. I can’t believe it has reached the audience it has. I don’t know; it’s continually surprising—I definitely did not expect it to be as global as it is. That’s the beauty of the internet, really, that it can reach so many people. It’s awesome.

TR: Definitely. Particularly with the fans, have you had any particularly touching experiences thanks to your involvement with ABM?
NP: Oh God, yeah, totally. It’s really hard, because I get messages all the time from people, and I’ve said before in interviews, I really cannot read all of them and I don’t, but I don’t ever want anybody to take that personally, because it’s not—there just are not enough hours in the day to be able to do that. I just hope that people know that I appreciate it. It always makes me feel good to see that I have a fan message in my inbox, even if I can’t read it. Every now and then when I have a moment I’ll click open a random one, and it’s kind of unbelievable what I’ve come across in just those. It really makes me realize that everybody has a story, and I’m constantly inspired and impressed by our fans, their stories, and their willingness to share. It’s really unbelievable. Everything from people in other countries who can’t come out because it’s against their religion and they’ll be thrown out of their community—not just their house but their whole community—and are seeking support, to people who have been severely beaten for being gay and are dealing with that, to people who have come out to their parents because of our show. It’s just endless. To say that there’s one above others…I don’t know. I don’t think I could do it. I don’t even want to because everyone’s story is so unique and so important, and every single one has affected me. There’s just so many that come to mind, and I’m always unbelievably appreciative because it lets me know that I’m doing something that matters.

TR: One of my favorite things about ABM is that it’s such a safe haven for teens who are dealing with issues of sexuality, or even teens who have friends who are going through it and maybe don’t understand but want to. It’s really one of my favorite things about the show. The L Word is just so different from what teens need to see.
NP: Oh yes! Very different! *laughs* SO different. We’re much more down to earth.

TR: I remember being 13 and coming across TLW and being like, “Wait. Seriously? No…It can’t be like this.” Then about a year ago I discovered ABM and was like, “Okay this makes a lot more sense. I wish it had been around three years ago.”
NP: Yeah, exactly. Like I said, we were missing something for this demographic. I think gay entertainment is just starting to come into its own now and there are so many missing things and holes to fill and demographics to hit within the gay community, and having been able to reach out and fill this one is pretty fantastic.

TR: Yeah, definitely. So, as you know I have some fan questions here from Twitter…
NP: Go for it!!

TR: Okay, the first one I have is from @AnaSmithSong and it’s, “Who is your favorite Star Wars character?”
NP: Oh geeze…Oh my god. *laughs* Okay, well I’ll give you my instinctive answer and then I’ll explain you my reasons why. My instinct is to say Leia. You know, it’s funny, I told you I used to make play vamping when I was little based on movies, and I’ve been watching Star Wars since I was three, my parents raised me on that stuff, so I organized mass games of Star Wars on the kindergarten playground. I would direct everybody and cast everybody and we’d be running around playing Star Wars. And of course I cast myself as Leia—Duh! She’s the lead and the heroine in the whole deal, and I really admired her for that. I dressed up as her for Halloween in 3rd grade. I loved her for being the female lead in that movie, so since I’ve had a soft spot for her since I was little because of that. Now, as an adult, being able to be analytical about why I loved that trilogy so much, she is such a strong female character. She really, except for very brief moments, she is extremely strong-willed, kind of pig-headed, doesn’t take any shit from anybody, is very much a ruler in all senses of the word and doesn’t get pushed around by the boys and doesn’t make a lot of the typical female romantic lead decisions based on the man she’s in love with. She is allowed to be in love with Han and figure that out throughout the trilogy, but they allowed her that without her sacrificing herself, her passion, and her power. She’s just incredibly strong and powerful female character, so I love her for that. So she’s my favorite, but I certainly have affection for all of them. *laughs*

TR: I see, I see. *laughs* Understandable. Now, I have another question, but I can’t quite recall what its referring to, but it intrigued me, so hopefully you know. @karmalaluna asks, “Where did your like of needles come from?”
NP: Oh! *laughs* That was from an interview that I did from the web-a-thon! So funny…I knew I was never bothered by getting blood drawn or anything, and as I’ve gotten older I’ve realized that I’m not someone who is scared of that. When I got my eyebrow pierced like three weeks into my freshman year of college, which I’d been planning like months in advance, but my parents wouldn’t let me do it while I was living at home so when I went to college I pretty much did it right away. Anyway, not only did it not hurt—it felt really cool when they put the ring through. The way it felt to me was like there was a fishing line, like, going through my face, which sounds really weird, but it felt like…I don’t know, I’m a very tactile person; I respond a lot to touch, so I don’t know why the idea of a really cool sort of line going through my face appealed to me so much but I just thought it was really cool. So ever since then, it’s been just this, “Yeah I kinda like that.” Then when I got a tattoo, yeah it hurt, but I liked the idea of the needle being on my skin like that. It’s just…I don’t know. It evokes kind of a cool feeling that you don’t get from anything else in life, or at least I hope you don’t get from anything else in life!! I don’t know really; I guess I haven’t analyzed it much. *laughs*

TR: Oh yeah, I remember you talking about that now. It is a very unique thing! *laughs* Okay, the next question is from @Ntinakiiiii and she asks, “Would Nicole have a long distance relationship in real life like Vivian and Aster?”
NP: Oh my god, this is too funny that I’m being asked this right now. *laughs* I mean, I have had them in the past, my ex-girlfriend and I were dating for six months before I went abroad, and I was gone for six months. Most of that time I was living in Prague and she was living in London and we would meet up every couple weeks in various European cities and explore together. We really did Europe together, and it was a very cool thing but it was incredibly rough period of time for a lot of reasons. I was also young, 21, and I definitely didn’t have my priorities straight in a lot of ways. I was confused, and fearful in certain ways. If I were to do a long distance relationship now it would be a lot different than what that was, but I was definitely happy to come home not have that distance with her anymore and just be able to be together because it was really, really hard on us. So I have a lot of trepidation around long distance relationships. However, I will say this—now, living in Los Angeles and being away from most of the people I care about and love and most romantic ties that I have had, the idea of a long distance relationship has come up actually a couple times in the past year. Once I was willing to do it and the other person wasn’t, which in retrospect was probably the right decision for me also. And then it’s funny because I’m actually kind of dealing with it now and debating that whole thing, and I don’t really know how I’m gonna end up on all of that, but I will say this about it—I very much believe in love and in taking advantage the opportunity when you love somebody that much. I hate the idea of the “What ifs?” You know? “What if I had done this?” “What if I had given this a shot?” he worst that can happen is that it won’t work out. Yes, it’s painful, but in a way I think I can deal with that better than the, “What if I had done this? Maybe it worked, and maybe that’s who I’m supposed to be with.” So, I weight that against the fact that it sucks to miss somebody so badly and to just want to be around them and have that unbelievable longing. So I think it’s one of those things where right now might be a question of, in a lot of ways, whether I can afford to be in a long distance relationship right now. To take the time out of my schedule and my career to talk with this person on a regular basis, and whether I have the actual money to go back and forth to New York on a regular basis. I don’t know. But I know that if I don’t give it that kind of time in energy it won’t work, so I guess the answer to your question is I don’t know. They aren’t ideal in anyway whatsoever, but sometimes they’re necessary. If it’s the right person and the right time, sometimes you gotta take advantage of it and do what you gotta do.

TR: Yeah, I can understand. I did a 45 minute one and that was about all I could handle, especially at 15. Anyway, the next question is from @jokenirinck, “If you were a word, which word would you be?”
NP: Ooh! So good! That is so hard. If I were a word, which word would I be…Hm. I don’t know—there are a LOT!

TR: Okay, then give me a few words.
NP: I can give you some of my favorite words! I love—I know this is a name, but it’s a word too—I love the word Azerbaijan, as in the country. It starts with an A. It’s a country in the middle-east. I have loved it ever since I read it in 9th grade world views class. My friend and I actually have a long running joke about it because we both like saying it so much. Basically, because it’s so sexy. It just like, rolls around in your mouth, and it’s so mysterious, and there’s something very provocative about it. Not the country itself, but the actual phonetics of it. It’s just so interesting to me, that I’d love to be a word like that. But in terms of me, I think I’m something between Azerbaijan and something awkward and quirky like onomatopoeia. So, like…I don’t even know. I’m somewhere in there.

TR: So an awkwardly sexy word then
NP: Yes, hopefully! Hopefully sexy or intriguing in some ways, but at the end of the day really just a bundle of quirk. *laughs*

TR: Perfect! So, the next question is from @GUpBass, “What car do you drive, and what car do you wish you could have for going on a date?”
NP: That’s so funny! I had a premonition that you were going to ask me this question. I think it’s because I’ve been looking at my car all day thinking how dirty it is and how I need to get it cleaned, so I was like, “It’s gonna be funny if she asks me about my car.” I drive a Mini Cooper. A Mini Cooper S 2010, so it has a turbo engine because I like to drive fast and I like pick up, and at one point I drove a six liter engine, so when I drove the turbo engine it was a done deal. So, yeah I’m a fast driver for sure. She is read with a white top, and her name is Vada, like the lead in the movie My Girl. I actually need to get something replaced soon, and I think, depending on how much extra money it is, that I’ll get a plate that says Vada. I never thought I would be one of those people who has a name plate, because I think its kinda lame. However, she deserves it. She’s got a lot of personality. She’s “My Girl!” My first car I’ve ever owned, so it was really exciting. And it’s funny because Vada was my dream car. Like, I actually have my dream car. That’s part of why it was so cool. I won’t go into the whole story, but kind of a series of events lead me to this and I never thought that I would get this car, and it just happened to be the last one in stock…It was wonderful that it turned out this way. A red Mini Cooper has been my dream car for a long time, so my dream car—I’m driving it! I would definitely love to pick somebody up for a date in this car! I think besides this car, maybe a cute convertible of some sort. My dad has a V3, it’s like his baby and I love it. I love the idea of driving around in it on a beautiful day. I love BMWs. Actually, a Mini Cooper is a subset of a BMW, so it’s not surprising that I ended up with a subset of a BMW. I just love the way they drive.

TR: So it was car destiny then!
NP: It was! Vada thinks so too.

TR: Okay, now this is my question, and it is wonderfully random – If your cat could speak, what would it say?
NP: *gasps* If Elliot could speak?! He would be such a grumpy man! *laughs* He is such a prince. My father will never tire of calling him a prince. I picture him being a really, well, I don’t quite picture him being gay, but I do think he would be really uptight compared to the rest of the world—kind of a stick up the ass. But then once you got him alone and made him comfortable he’d be very sweet and loving, but always reminding you that he’s got an M.O. I think he would probably either say, “Get off my couch.” That’s number one, or, “Leave the faucet in the tub running constantly so I can stick my head under it and drink out of it.” Cause I think honestly that is his number one goal in life. If Elliot was a character in a show, I’ve thought about this several times actually, that his main objective would be to get someone to turn on the faucet just so that it would drip in the tub just so he can drink out of it anytime he wants, because he won’t drink standing water, only water that is flowing. *laughs* I mean, constantly, he’ll butter up to you, and you you’ll think, “Oh Elliot is happy to see me!”, but no, then he will lead you to the bathroom just so you will turn the faucet on. *laughs* But I think, in one of his softer moments, he would definitely tell me he loves me and thank me for saving his life. I got him from a shelter when he was a little over four years old, and I had known I wanted an adult cat, and he had a very bad kennel cold that left him really weak, and the shelter that I got him from had saved him from the city shelter because he was on the euthanize list, but he was still very sick when I got him, and so within a couple weeks his fur started getting normal again and his eyes stopped running. He just started getting a lot healthier because he was in a home environment, and after about a year he started calming down and losing some of the crazy neurosis that he had which were very much a result of whatever trauma he had been through. He’s a pretty normal cat at this point, so I think he would probably thank me for making him that way. Our whole family is crazy animal people, and I mean CRAZY, like seriously—insane. We have three cats, and we’ve had dogs…We’re really big on animals and are incredibly affectionate with them, and I really think that animals pick up on that and their personalities form based on who their owners are and so I would like to think he would thank me for giving him a good home. I could talk about Elliot all day—obviously I’m a crazy cat lady.

TR: My family is the same way, so I can definitely relate! *laughs* So, my last question is do you have a message for the fans on anyonebutmefans.com?
NP: Ooh! A message for the fans! You know, honestly, the best thing I can really think of right now, I’ve thought of a lot of things in the past, but right now really number one is just thank you on so many levels. Not only thank you for supporting this series when obviously we have gone through times where we need the financial and moral support, everything. Just making it so that this is a series that’s so worth keeping up, it’s immeasurable. I can’t thank the fans enough for that. On a personal level, I really don’t know that the fans know how much I appreciate all the support we get, not only for the show but also for me personally. Because acting is not easy, it’s just not. There’s a lot of disappointment and rejection and it takes a lot of stamina, heart, and faith. I gotta tell you, with my having moved and really kind of starting over in a lot of ways out here in a whole new place—the random fan support that I’ve gotten through Facebook, Twitter, the forums—everything- has meant more to me personally and has more than once really turned my day around. I appreciate it. It definitely reminds me why I do this, and that I can do this, so thank you.
TR: And thank you! Thank you for sitting down and talking with me!
NP: Of course! Thank you so much, I was really looking forward of this, so it was great. The highlight of my day!

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If you would like to sponsor Nicole’s mum, Karen, in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer please do so here.