Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Adverse’s Thomas Nicholas

For over three decades, Thomas Nicholas has brought the most dynamic characters to life on both the small and silver screens. He’s made us laugh in projects like Rookie of the Year and American Pie, and transformed himself into legendary figures like Frank Sinatra and Walt Disney.

Currently, he’s giving a career-defining performance in the must-see thriller, Adverse.

We spoke with Thomas about his career, returning to his dramatic roots, and all things Adverse.

PC: You’ve had a lot of success throughout your career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out to you?
Thomas: For me, I’ve always been focused on the work; it’s always what I accomplish artistically. There are moments that I’m proud of, like a character I was able to create with Roger Avary in The Rules of Attraction—that one is a highlight for me. It coincides with how that role came to be. I’ve always abided by the idea that there are no small parts, only small actors. I remember auditioning for the role of Paul in that film, which ultimately went to Ian Somerhalder.

Roger and Ricky Montgomery, the casting directors, called me after I auditioned. They said, “Look, we don’t feel you’re right. You don’t look the part for Paul. We don’t want to offend you, but would you consider playing Mitchell? We know it’s very small.” I was like, “I’d be honored,” and I just remember having so much fun creating that character and all of his intricacies on set.

The same thing happened for Life Is Hot in Cracktown, playing what the director considered a cameo—so much so that he wrote an extra scene for me. He was like, “This part’s too small for you.” But again, there are no small parts, only small actors. I mean I’m only five foot seven and three quarters. [laughs]

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Thomas: At this point, the only person that I’ve now officially worked with multiple times is my business partner, Brian A. Metcalf, as a writer-director. It’s not to say that I wouldn’t go back and work with other people, just the opportunity hasn’t presented itself. In that regard, Brian has been a huge influence on my career, especially with my latest film, Adverse. We worked extensively on the character development for the role of Ethan. I believe that focusing on my work, hopefully, my performance will be a turning point in my career from being known as a comedic actor to getting back to my roots as a dramatic actor.

PC: Speaking of Adverse, can you tell us about the film, your character, and what attracted you to the role?
Thomas: I play Ethan who is a rideshare driver with a questionable past, and I discover that my sister is in debt to a dangerous crime syndicate. When I read what Brian A. Metcalf had written, I was very drawn to this character. Even though we’ve worked together a few times, he was a little trepidatious as to whether or not I could mold into this character, which is completely different for me. We did some work sessions, and I started developing the character.

As that progressed, he started to gain more confidence in my ability to lose myself in the role. I changed the way that I sounded, the way that I looked, and the way that I moved, completely embodying this character. Then, we spent weeks and weeks rehearsing with Kelly Arjen, our other producing partner, who plays Mia, because the relationship between the brother and sister is the cornerstone of this story.

PC: In addition to starring in this film, you also produced it. At what point in the process did you realize you were going to wear those two hats, and how challenging was that?
Thomas: Brian A. Metcalf and I have produced several projects together where he is the writer, director, and producer, and I’m the producer and actor. To be clear, my producer hat isn’t just a vanity title—people probably think that, and that’s fair because I think that does happen a lot. I have a fair amount of experience working with Brian and wearing both of those hats. The biggest challenge on this one was proving to my business partner that I could pull off this role, not so much that I could pull off the duality of producing and acting.

PC: In addition to acting, you’ve done a ton of work behind the scenes as a writer, director, and producer. How has your work behind the scenes made you a stronger actor and vice versa?
Thomas: I think having awareness, and I’ve always had an awareness of all the things that are happening on set. I’ve always asked a lot of questions. When I was younger, especially, I would spend time watching how things were transpiring on set. As I got older, I would go hang out in my trailer, practice guitar, write songs, and take my mind off things, but when I was younger, I was very aware of everything going on. Knowledge is power, so the more you’re aware of how everything happens, the more easily you can fit into the puzzle as needed. There’s a great value in knowing how the ship floats and sails as well as understanding how it moves as opposed to being a passenger on it and only worrying about yourself.

PC: You were saying earlier that this was a very challenging role. What was the biggest takeaway from working on this project?
Thomas: That I really want to do character work, which is something that I’ve had in my mind for a long time. But I would say truly, this is the first time that I’ve had the opportunity to put that into actuality. That is something that I really, really enjoy. I’ve always been focused on the work—when I say the work, I mean, I love being on set and making movies. That is, by and large, my favorite part of the entire process.

So, to get to have the opportunity to do that—and the other part of the thing of my intention is to be a character lead, like what we’ve watched Daniel Day-Lewis and Gary Oldman do—is amazing. I don’t think that I have the wherewithal to stay in character for three months like Daniel Day-Lewis. [laughs] I don’t know about that, especially having my two kids, I don’t think they would appreciate me staying in character [laughs]—especially as this character, Ethan, who, even though we don’t touch on it, he definitely is dealing with some mental illness and anger issues. That’s something that I tried not to bring home, so my biggest takeaway is that drama is my forte. Character lead work is what I want to continue doing. I’m pining for that right now, for finding some more opportunities to do exactly that.

To keep up with Thomas, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Watch Adverse on Digital and VOD today.