Nick Fink is a name that should be on your radar. In his early 20s, Fink has already landed the role of Tyler Finn on MTV’s new show Sweet Vicious—the story of two badass girls who fight back against rape culture on their college campus. We caught up with Fink as season one wrapped to discuss his start in LA and what’s up next for him.
Cliché: What made you want to get into acting and move to LA?
Nick Fink: It was kind of a long time coming for me, you know. When I was a little kid, I used to make little movies with my camcorder with my buddies in them, and then when I got to high school, I was super into theatre and drama club and all that stuff. I moved when I was 19, knowing nobody. It was a dream and a passion; I landed and just started going after it. I just loved to act and once I realized LA was a possibility, I had to go for it; there was no other option!
What were those first few months like? That’s so daunting!
I know! Whenever I look back on it, I’m like, “How did I do that?” I don’t think I could do that now! There was a lot of Netflix and a lot of hanging out, to be honest. You know, you move out here and you think it’s just going to happen on its own because the work ethic in the beginning isn’t quite there. It’s a lot of wondering and waiting, because you’re too naive.
What made you want to be part of MTV’s Sweet Vicious? I could gush about it for hours. I won’t, because I don’t want to take up your entire Friday night…but I could.
Oh, by all means, please do! I’m so glad you loved it.
How could I not? The writing and story is so powerful and important. What was your first experience reading the script like?
To be honest, where I’m at in my career, it’s not like you can really pick and choose what you want to be part of. When you read a script like this, you just feel fortunate enough to audition for it. I remember thinking, “Holy shit, this show is so unique and so vitally important. How cool is it that this is even going to get made and I’m going to be a fan of it regardless if I’m a part of it or not.”
That’s so funny because, to a degree, that was my reaction to watching it. There are certain scenes where I just kept thinking, “I can’t believe this is really being put on TV. Finally, but wow.”
Oh yeah, it really goes there. All the praise goes to our writers for wanting to be honest and showing no fear.
Are there any moments on set where you were exceptionally moved or thought, “I can’t believe how fortunate I am to be part of this?”
I was on set when we filmed Jules confronting Nate, because you know I come in after that moment. We’re all standing there and you can hear what’s going on. I remember the whole cast and crew was just silent and all eyes were on that; it was definitely a moment. She showed up in the biggest way and you see it on screen. That was a really powerful day on set.
Sweet Vicious was one of those things where it was sort of an overnight sensation. All of a sudden, everyone was talking about it. Did you have a moment of, “Oh wow, this is a thing now!”
For us, it was a build to it. But that being said, every time a new article comes out or something about the show is said, the entire cast is texting each other like, “Oh my god, how cool is this!” It’s so exciting for us. Early on in the season though, we had a group of fans that were, and have been, there for us on Twitter and stuff. But yes, as the show went on, you definitely saw more and more tweets and stuff on the hashtag, each week.
With that, have you had any weird or memorable fan experiences?
Recently, there were two girls who went to Viacom in Hollywood with signs to show their support for the show. Jen, our creator, texted me and was like, “Hey, these girls are out there doing this for us and I’m going to say hi to them if you’re around!” So, I ended up heading over and found Jen having coffee with them and so I got to sit down with these girls and just hang out. Up until that point, I hadn’t had any run-ins, aside from Twitter of course, with people who were fans of the show. You learn more and more about your own show when chatting with people who are fans of it.
When you read a script like this, you just feel fortunate enough to audition for it.
Aside from your role on Sweet Vicious, you also have a new movie that just came out! What is your character in that film like?
It’s a beautiful, quirky, indie called The Great & The Small. It’s a slice of life piece about this kid Scott, who I play, who feels like life hasn’t given him much of a shot. It ends up being about him trying to balance these three relationships in his life. It’s a gorgeous film because it doesn’t really tell you how to feel; it just sort of plays out. It makes for a really cool viewing experience to not just be fed all the information, but actually be engaged in the film.
I love films like that, when they don’t underestimate the audience.
No, this treats the audience as the intelligent people that they are.
Moving forward, do you have any projects in the pipeline?
There is a web series I do called T@gged with AwesomenessTV, who are the best. They make so much killer content. That should be coming out soon!
Lastly, who would you consider your biggest inspirations?
For me, it’s a lot of the guys who are similar to my age and developing these careers that I hope I can follow in their footsteps. Guys like Emory Cohen or Charlie Heaton, who have always been working but just sort of blew up from Stranger Things. They are competition, in a cool way. I mean, I hope they are. It’s so fun to be able to watch their work and see what they do with these roles that I could potentially be up for one day.
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“Nick Fink Talks ‘Sweet Vicious,’ The Great & The Small,’ and More” was originally published in Cliché Magazine’s April/May 2017 issue. Photographed by Ryan West Photo
