Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with The Prom’s Nico Greetham

Nico Greetham is bringing the zazz in his latest role as Nick Boomer in Netflix’s The Prom. Adapted from the Broadway production, The Prom is an uplifting musical about a high school girl who becomes a national headline after her school cancels the prom rather than allowing her to attend with her girlfriend…that is, until a group of self-obsessed theater stars seize the opportunity (and publicity) to right a social injustice.

Nico shines as Nick, one of the students at the conservative high school, who is a product of his surroundings. While he doesn’t believe in inclusivity at first, he begins to open up his mind (and heart) as the film progresses. It’s a breakout role for Nico, who is putting all of his talents on display.

We caught up with Nico to learn more about his transition from the world of dance to acting, what he hopes to accomplish as an artist, and what it means to him to be a part of The Prom.

Career

PC: How did you discover your passion for the arts?
Nico: Since the day I could speak, I’ve always wanted to be an actor. I would point at the TV and say, “Mom, I can do that. That is something that I can do.” I used to watch young actors who were my age at the time, like Josh Hutcherson in Bridge to Terabithia and Frankie Muniz in Agent Cody Banks. That blew my mind. I wanted to do that so bad. I always had that in me.

Then, I got into dance and that became the focus of my whole life from twelve to twenty-one. After that, I decided to fully commit to acting, and here we are. Now I’m doing a film where I can dance and act.

PC: When you look at your career as a whole, who or what has had the biggest influence on you, either personally or professionally?
Nico: Oh, wow. I loved watching kids who were my age—I still do. I still appreciate people who are around my age, who are doing things and living the dream, because it makes it feel like a community. It makes it feel like it’s tangible and possible, without, of course, comparing yourself. I think that’s really easy to fall into. But yeah, I really do look up to the people who are around my age. I look up to people who are older, too, but I’m inspired by those who are my age.

Also, my team and my manager, JC Gutierrez. Without him, I would be a lost puppy on the street. He signed me when I was eighteen when I first got to LA. We’ve been together for about that entire time. He very much guided me and steers the ship, which I’m very grateful for.

PC: Like you were saying earlier, you grew up as a dancer. How’s that art form prepared you for this next chapter in your career as an actor?
Nico: Dancers have a discipline that’s innately taught. The discipline of a dancer is so unique and special to any other art form. They’re such hard-working humans, and I speak for all dancers—not even just for myself—and with that, I carry that discipline onto an acting set.

It’s interesting to be on set with actors versus being on a set with dancers, because unfortunately dancers get the short end of the stick as far as a lot of things in the industry. They’re looked at as background, which is unfair because they’re just about the hardest working artists out there. They’re not treated very fairly. They’re also not paid very fairly for all their hard work.

It’s very humbling to be a dancer. I’ve always told myself that I would take that onto my next chapter as an actor and continue to have that humbling experience live through me, because I can’t walk on set and say, “I’m an actor. I deserve all these things,” because I don’t; we’re all the same. That dancer works just as hard as I did, who’s working just as hard as the light guy, who’s working just as hard as all the guys on the crew. So, for that, I’m grateful, though. I am.

PC: You said in previous interviews that your goal as a dancer was to be on So You Think You Can Dance. As you embark on this acting career, what do you hope to accomplish?
Nico: There’s so much I want to accomplish. I want to do everything, which is such a lame answer for you, but there are no restrictions, there are no limits for what I want to do as far as acting. I want to explore every avenue that I can because I’m really drawn to characters whose way of thinking is completely opposite of the way I think as Nico and combat my moral compass, which is exciting. I get to go into that mindset and validate someone’s crazy ideology and what makes a sociopath a sociopath. How do you validate that? That excites me. It feels like research. I want to be able to dive into so many different mindsets—it’s so exciting to me.

PC: You’ve also said that So You Think You Can Dance really started it all for you, and you’ve had a lot of success since then. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out to you?
Nico: Yeah! So You Think You Can Dance was the foot in the door. It got me to LA and into the industry in whatever capacity it was, which was professional dance. Four months after So You Think You Can Dance, I ended up booking Newsies on Broadway, so I had to move to New York for that year.

But moving to New York at the age of nineteen, I had zero clothes, zero friends, and no house. It made me realize that in this industry, you have to be ready to say “yes”. You got to pick up and go. You have to be prepared for anything. The same thing happened for me when I booked another series. I had to move to New Zealand with three days’ notice. I had to say all my goodbyes and pack for nine months. That’s been a repetitive thing in my career. I’m down for that, though. I’m all about spontaneity.

The Prom

PC: Tell us about The Prom, your character, and what drew you to this project.
Nico: The story is so special and important. I’m so excited for the world to witness the story being told in such a fun, light, and funny way, but also in a heartwarming and moving way. You’re crying one second and you’re laughing the next.

My character, Nick Boomer, is the high school popular jock who is a product of his surroundings. He doesn’t really understand inclusivity until these crazy Broadway people come and change his mind, thankfully.

I remember getting the audition in my inbox and it said, “Ryan Murphy.” I’ve always been such a fan of the universes he’s created. American Horror Story is my religion. I love Glee. To be a part of Ryan Murphy’s world was very exciting in itself, but then to be able to sing, dance, and act, which is what I’ve been pursuing, all for such an important message, I was like, “Great. Where do I sign?” There was no question that I wouldn’t audition. I was grateful for the opportunity.

PC: The film is being adapted from the Broadway production, which has had a profound impact on its audience. Did that bring any pressure to this project?
Nico: I had a friend who was in the very early stages of the Broadway show. She told me this story that when they were doing it out of town, they did Q&As with the audiences to see how it was going. This guy stood up and said, “My son and I haven’t spoken for six years because I didn’t understand. I’m going to call him tonight.”

I could cry right now. Her telling me that, and then being able to be a part of such a great story, there’s nothing better. Literally, I’m crying. Things like that are so important. I’m so grateful to be a part of hopefully some lives being changed.

PC: Like you were saying earlier, when we’re introduced to your character, he’s very closed-minded. You could describe him as a bully. Over the course of the film, we see him transform and grow. You were saying earlier about jumping into a character’s mindset, so how did you prepare to step into Nick’s shoes?
Nico: Going back to what I said earlier, I enjoy finding the validation of how someone can be so cruel because he’s not very nice. I wrote in a journal on what I thought Nick was feeling, what made him tick, what bothered him, and why those things bothered him.

I grew up in Virginia, and there were some conservative people there—or I should say are—so the idea of someone like that existing is very honest, and that’s unfortunately true. So as far as that went, I could recall growing up surrounded by people who didn’t quite understand or accept people who may be “different.”

Thankfully in this film, Nick does have an arc. Maybe it’s in a middle of a song with one line and I sing, “Love thy neighbor,” but it’s special that they do turn, and they do realize that love is love. Everyone deserves it. It’s such a waste of time to not accept people because why? We all deserve love.

PC: This is the first time in your career that you’re also singing as part of your role. What was it like getting to act and sing? What did you learn about yourself as an artist?
Nico: It was so scary. I am not a singer. I am not. I’ve never called myself a singer. I’m not tone-deaf, but singing gives me a lot of nerves, unlike dance, which I’m very comfortable with. I trained my whole life for it, and then I’m very comfortable with acting, but singing, man, it gets all those little butterflies in my stomach moving at a quick pace. I was definitely under pressure. I put a lot of pressure on myself.

I had a vocal coach, Bob Garrett. He’s amazing. He made me feel very comfortable. He prepped me for the auditions. He prepped me for going into the studio, which was my first experience singing in a recording studio. There were all these albums around with all the people that recorded in that studio. I was like, “Who am I to be in here? Do I deserve this?” It was super nerve-wracking, but you know what? I don’t cringe when I hear my voice, which is good. That was the goal.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Nico: I’ve been rewatching Glee. I love it so much.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Nico: Trolls. I love Trolls. Honestly, anything with singing I’m down for.

PC: Favorite book?
Nico: I like to read books that are going to be films because then I get to imagine them being filmed. I read a book called A Head Full of Ghosts, and it’s a horror-thriller. It’s fantastic. I’m so excited for the movie to come out. I believe Margaret Qualley is the lead in it. I can’t wait.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Nico: The Prom. Can I say that?

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Nico: I’ve got an eclectic playlist. You know what? My number one of all time is Michael Bublé, and a lot of people don’t understand that, but he is the man.

PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Nico: Who would play me in a story of me, and it’s not me? Wow. You, I’m going to hire you. Now that we’ve talked, I feel like we got to know each other, it’s you. You got the job.

To keep up with Nico, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Watch The Prom today on Netflix.