Meet Nathalie Zagar | Script Supervisor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nathalie Zagar and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nathalie, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
It took some time for me to be able to have a good balance between my work and my personal life. I am the kind of person who always gives 100% of themselves in any kind of situation, so it would be hard to do everything perfectly at the same time. Of course, if I wanted to give all of my attention to someone or something, I would be forgetting about the other things because I was so invested in the first one. I realized that nothing should get all of my focus all the time. There is a time for everything, and that is when I started prioritizing and therefore balancing these things. When starting to work on a new project, I need to have the time to familiarize with the script and break it down properly to prepare for the job. So when I do that, I stay focused for a few hours (to be able to get the job done) and after that I distract myself a bit, maybe go do some exercise, meet with friends and close ones and even have some time to myself. There is always time to get serious and work, and also it is very important to not let yourself go and not take care of you. Your friends and family, your relationships, even your job can’t take over completely, you have plenty of time in the day to give your attention to each one of them and be present in all things you do.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a script supervisor, and this is a job that I didn’t know existed until a few years ago. Before arriving to LA, I wanted to be an actor, I had just graduated from a Bachelor’s in Communications and Performing Arts in Mexico in 2020 and the pandemic was just starting. That year was the roughest I had gone through in my entire life. Just like everyone else, the lockdown made me feel how I was wasting my life just staying home. I also encountered lots of terrifying moments regarding health with my family. Those times were very complicated for me because I needed the most support from my close ones, and I had to go through it on my own because I learned that they were not going to be there for me and that broke my heart. In October 2020, I made the wildest decision in my life, which was to leave everything behind me in Mexico and fly off to LA to try and pursue my dream. January 2021 would be when I left. I terminated lots of toxic relationships that were draining me, tried to take care of my family the most I possibly could and without looking back I started from scratch in LA. When I finished my acting program, it was time to find work, but because of the impact the pandemic had on the world, it was impossible to become a working actor. I spent many nights on my own crying and getting anxious because I never heard back from a self tape that I had sent. I was completely frustrated and thought my dream would never come true and I would just have to adapt to a regular and boring office life. Right when I was about to give up, my close friends got me to do crew work for them in their films and that is how I found script supervising. I immediately loved the craft; and having a formation as an actor, everything fell into place. I put a lot of attention to detail, I am very dedicated, precise and have a lot of passion for my work. I had never heard before what a script supervisor did and when I learned what it was I was shocked that I found it until now. I read many books to become better at it and I haven’t stopped working ever since. I am always excited to hop on board of a new project and meet new people who eventually become a big family. Every single hour spent on set is completely worth it because it does not feel like work to me. I do what I love, and I love what I do.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
LA is full of amazing and crazy places to visit and have the best time ever. Even after being here for four years I am certain there are many places I still have to visit and learn about but, from what I know and love right now, this is how the itinerary would look like. First, I would take them to Universal Studios. Be there early in the morning, try to go on as many rides possible, catch the Waterworld show and the Studio Tour. We would have some snacks like a churro and the Super Mario fizzy drinks and for lunch we would go to the Minion’s cafe where they have the best grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup and for desert the chocolate banana pudding. On day two, I would take them to the Americana where we can walk around, take cute pictures and maybe get some shopping done. I would take them to eat at Din Tai Fung because who doesn’t love dumplings and pork buns? Day three would have to be Santa Monica and Rodeo Drive. Spending some time at the beach, walking around, taking pictures and eating at Bubba Gump! After a day at the beach and hanging out I think they would be well rested to go to Disneyland for day four. This is an early wake up call, since we have to be there by 8 am when the park opens. We would try to get as many rides in, but obviously not leave without riding Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. We would be snacking the entire day, getting beignets, Dole whips, cheese onion rings, and for lunch a delicious birria sandwich. We would have a time reserved for merchandise shopping and of course taking pictures with the castle and different characters along the way. Day five has to be reserved for Hollywood and the walk of fame. Just walking around, taking pictures with stars, go to the ovation mall right next to the Dolby theater, walk over the Amoeba and the Funko store (have them customize their own Funko, of course!) and eat at Shake Shack (of course with a cookies and cream milkshake) and at night we would go bar hopping in West Hollywood get some drinks and have a fun night. Day six I would take them walking around The Grove and maybe even go to the Griffith park observatory to get cute pictures and enjoy the day walking around and for lunch we would go get Urbane Cafe, a healthy and delicious choice. Finally for day seven we could go to whichever museum they prefer, The Broad or the Getty and enjoy the day over there and then walk around Little Tokyo and get a Sumi Sumi ice cream. For lunch we could go get some ramen in Downtown Burbank and maybe go to a karaoke bar over there later at night.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like go give a special shoutout to my family (specially mom and dad), because no matter how many times I thought I was not going to be able to make it, they still supported me and cheered me on to keep going. Also, a big thanks to the teachers at the New York Film Academy who helped me get a better understanding of what the industry is really like and they helped me find my passion and get started. Finally, I want to thank everyone in the film industry, every single film that I have watched in my life just reassures me more that this is the place for me.

Instagram: @dailyscriptie

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathalie-zagar-abitbol/

Other: IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12754333/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_1_nm_7_in_0_q_NATHALIE%2520ZAGAR

Image Credits
Kushagra Jain, Claudia Chavez, Giuliana Gasparotto, Usman Ghani