Merrizzi Nicholas

Article by Julia Lucio
The Local Seeker
August 24, 2012

The young actor, 21, who remains very realistic and down to earth, has been a film buff since his early years. As a child, he saw himself re-enacting movies around the house, playing pretend being the hero and saving the day.

Stage acting since age 7, Nicholas' passion is more than a hobby. In 2006 he acted in a production of On Golden Pond. He made an impression on an agent who asked to take him on as a client. "I like stage acting, but film is what I Love." He then took a break to try his luck with acting and to spend more time in Toronto. That's when things started to happen.

Acting demands a versatile life style and the ability to drop everything at the last minute to go to auditions. '' I made it work. I worked at a grocery store and I made it work. When I had to, I'd pay my friends to do my shifts so I could audition,'' says Merrizzi.

Finally in late July of 2011, Merrizzi received a call back for a part in the Canadian Show Dual Suspects. Filming took place a year ago this month. The Etobicoke shoot filmed over 4-5 days. The show never made it to TV on its own and Nicholas thought it would remain for ever in ''Post Production Hell'', but instead, it go incorporated to the American show COLD BLOOD. '' I didn't think it would never be aired. It's a friend on Facebook who actually asked me if I was on TV. After tuning in, I said: I guess I am !''

In the fall of 2011, Nicholas also did a trailer for Whistler Film Festival. "That was cool. It's a lot of fun. It really is. but as far as making a career out of it..."

When asked about the whole Ryan Gossling hype, Merrizzi says that he didn't really know about Gossling growing up. "There was a talent agency in Cornwall. I knew Krista Dufresne who did Goosebumps. Ryan did Goosebumps too, but Krista was a few years older than me and I thought that it was so cool that she was from Cornwall."
Nonetheless Merrizzi finds it very inspirational to know that somebody who came from a normal small town life has now achieved fame. "I guess it's about being at the right place at the right time, and that can happen to anybody."

Flattered by all the media attention, Nicholas is hopeful, but knows that the chances of him reaching stardom are slim, so he is not giving up his academics or moving to Hollywood just yet. He will stay in Cornwall drive for auditions and plans to return to university to major in psychology. "But who knows ... Anything can happen!" The future will tell ...