Meet Nerida Bronwen | Actor & Voice Over Artist

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

Hi Nerida, how do you think about risk?
I think a little risk is pretty important in all aspects of life. Without some risk, there can’t really be much reward. I saw an illustration on social media the other day by Ramin Nazer that showed a human, part way up a seemingly endless staircase. It was captioned “You’re afraid to take the next step, but wouldn’t it be scarier to be standing in the exact same place a year later?” Yes it would, I said. You have to take the risks to get to the next step or honestly, what’s the point?

I’m definitely a bit of a thrill seeker, I’m also impulsive; part of being a Taurus and having ADHD, I guess (diagnosed at 7, and love sharing about my experience). So I’ve jumped out of a plane, and travelled by myself and quit the consistent, comfy job, and left the relationship with different life goals, and moved to Los Angeles to continue building my career as an actor and artist, even though I was scared, anxious and unsure pretty consistently. But that’s what risk entails. Not knowing exactly how it’s gonna turn out. And it could be bad, sure. But I still think staying put would be worse.

As I keep growing up, I’m getting to see where some of my risk taking and work is paying off. The goal to move to LA was 10+ years from the time it was formed and it happened later than I planned. But when the opportunity came and I had to uproot my entire life…I’m so glad I risked it all. 5 years later I’m finding myself finally calmer, more settled and at peace with my decision to keep doing this rather than threatening to quit every time it gets too hard. And I am so happy I did. I’m finally seeing my body of work that I’ve been building for two decades now; as something I’m proud of. And that’s a really nice feeling, but it’s also a choice. Not to nit-pick my past work but to use it to keep moving forward.

Since my last article with Voyage in Feb last year; I’ve continued building my fantastic team of reps and fellow artists around me to create with. I’m a resident actor with production company 579 Productions and I’ve just started pre-production on the next project.
I’ve been booking much more Voice Over work since; I currently have two podcasts out (Linktree on my Instagram) and an animated feature on the way!
It hasn’t all been sunshine…well it kinda has in LA but you know what I mean. Some of my risks gave no reward, just anger and frustration and wasted energy. Or so I thought. Until future circumstances showed me I was wiser and now knew what to do or be better able to help other people.

And that’s the thing about LA. It’s a journey. An experience. And a life changing one. It can take a while before you call this place home.
When I first moved to LA I was told “This city will destroy you…if you let it! So just don’t let it.” And though it’s tried, it hasn’t got the better of me yet.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think what defines me as an artist somewhat, is my inability to sit still. I mean physically but also metaphorically. I’m constantly hungry for new experiences and challenges. The cool part is, my job offers that. And when I like doing something, I’ll throw myself into it completely.

I’m a theatre kid at heart so I love the juicy roles. I’ve always like to delve deep into the human condition. I like to play. I want to play women in all their beauty, all their pain, and in their rawest forms. I believe art is educational and inspiring and that’s what I want to use it for. To educate, enlighten, encourage and evolve and to never shy away from truth, no matter how it might make one feel.

I’ve learnt that I plan to be doing this for a long time. And there’s something so incredibly comforting about allowing yourself the feeling of having time. Having time to hone multiple skills. And wear multiple hats. And stretch into all the different things that you’re capable of or might be capable of.

Like Voice Over. I’ve always been a good mimic and made noises and found I was good at accents in University. I just ticked off a career goal to voice an animated character (the Villain in fact!) and it’s made me so excited to work towards even bigger goals. It’s also encouraged me to practise singing again, after a long break since college.

My journey as an artist hasn’t necessarily been easy, but it hasn’t necessarily been hard either; because it’s caused me to evolve. And nothing has deterred me enough to leave it behind so far and I’m proud of that. Having said that, I do have goals beyond being an actress, and will be excited when it’s time to evolve again.

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.
I actually love an opportunity to play tour guide in LA. And I think LA can sometimes get a bad wrap if you’ve heard the wrong things, or of someone else’s bad experience. But as a holiday destination, there’s a reason millions of people still travel to the city of Angels to see what all the fuss is about.

Firstly, what I will say is if you can handle renting or borrowing a car and driving LA’s roads; your time in LA will be thoroughly more enjoyable, and much more accessible to you. But be careful on the road;.

Here’s a list of some of my favourite things:

To start, I live not far from Larchmont. A really beautiful, quaint, Old Hollywood stretch of shops and restaurants about 7 minutes south of Hollywood. This is a hidden gem not everyone has heard of and has a great Sunday Farmers Market.
Speaking of Farmers Markets the Grove and it’s Farmers Market is not only a great places for some shopping, but mostly for the food. You’ll be absolutely spoilt for choice.
Down the road on Melrose is Osteria La Buca – an Absolute must and personal favourite if you like Italian food.

Outdoorsy types and Hikes:
* Cant go wrong with Runyon Canyon and it’s a great way to get a lay of the land of LA and see the Hollywood sign, exercise and see a lot of dogs. – parking on weekends is difficult but worth it.

* For a better view of the Sign, Lake Hollywood park is one of my top recommendations in LA. (Bring a picnic towel and some snacks)

* Then there’s Griffith park. The observatory is obviously great but the whole park is also incredible with plenty of hikes and views. But there is also the Old Park Zoo. The old abandoned enclosures from the zoo that closed in 1966 are still there and allegedly a little haunted. There’s also a beautiful Carousel/Merry go Round from 1926 that opens and runs on Weekends.

* Malibu. It is worth heading out for a day. There are so many great hikes and ocean views around and it’s just a little slower out there. Point Dume is a must for sunset and the best place to eat in all of Malibu; Malibu Seafood. Period.

*Further South – Rent a Bike in Venice or Marina Del Rey and ride to Manhattan Beach for Happy Hour Oysters.

Clubs and Nightlife: Look, Hollywood is a riot. There’s a lot of great rooftops: See Mama Shelter and the Dream hotel…
Speakeasy’s/Cool clubs are Good Times at Davy Waynes and No Vacancy is one of the coolest ways to enter a club I’ve ever experienced.
Musso and Frank Grill – A really cool place to eat if you can get a reservation especially for a tourist visiting Hollywood. You’ll feel like you might have just stepped into a Scorsese Movie and the food and service was top notch for my experience.

Silverlake is one of my most favourite suburbs in LA. The shopping, the food, and the terrain is just more interesting than the rest of mostly flat LA. (Being from Sydney, I’m used to some geographical texture.)
Which brings us to one of my favourite Sushi Places. If you’re not a fan of SugarFish (I love it but not everyone does) or don’t want to spend Nobu prices (over rated, there I said it), one of the best places I’ve been introduced too is Izakaya Osen in Silver Lake. An extensive menu, little pricy but truly good sushi is not cheap in LA and it is thoroughly worth it.

Few other fav Spots:
Gracias Madre WEHO
Saddle Ranch WEHO – Has a Mechanical Bull
C&O Trattoria – Venice Beach opposite the Venice Whaler.
Leo’s Taco Truck – near Mid City
Sound Nightclub Hollywood
Ye Old King’s Head – British Pub in Santa Monica

I’ve barely scratched the surface and there’s so much more but here’s a start! Have fun!

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’m actually writing most of this from my childhood bedroom in Avalon, a suburb of Sydney’s Northern Beaches, where I’m from. This is the first time in 2.5 years I’ve been able to come home since the Covid-19 Pandemic derailed the world. So it’s hard not to look back to the very beginning of my dreams and goals to be an actor.

I’ve met SO many people both here in Sydney and in my new home in LA who have been essential to the makings of my career with opportunities and support alike.
However, I’m going to focus on 4 women from where it all began.

Firstly, my Grandmother; Iris Hardie. A talented dancer and trapeze artist, who “ran away from home” and joined the circus. The Circus she joined; none other than Silver’s Circus. One of the most famous Australian Circuses was founded by Mervyn King and my Great Grandfather David Hardie Snr, and his sons David Jnr and Les Hardie (my Grandfather) who later married Iris. A skilled acrobat who would flip around in the air long before they had safety nets below. She tells me the story of the time she fell in a rehearsal, severely injuring her ankle, but still went up that night to perform. So when I told her I wanted to be a performer too, she was constantly encouraging, and would bring her 80-something year old bum down to most every performance I was in. She’s now 97 and still wants to hear everything.

My year 11 and 12 high school Drama Teacher; Sarah Van Bentum or SVB as we called her for short. She would speed her car into the staff parking lot of my religious High school with 666 on her number plate. And she was one of those teacher’s who treated you like a person and not a child. Sassy, smart and passionate, she introduced me to Franca Rama and Dario Fo, went above and beyond to organise an extra workshop for the year 12 Drama students to work on our major works, and told me I could do it when I had crippling stage fright.

My friend, teacher and was my long time Australian Agent; Suzie Steen. At 14, she saw something in me and I started classes with her at North Shore Actors Studio before joining her agency. From my first Audition, to my first ever day on set, to my first national Commercial, Suzie has been there. I’ve worked as her assistant, casting associate, and I would practise my American Accent around the office (originally from the states; she’s a dialect coach too). And when it finally came time for me to make the move to LA, she had been essential in helping make it happen. I wouldn’t be the actress I am today without her.

And last but certainly not least; my Mum: Dennie. Never did it seem to cross her mind to try to push me into perhaps a more reasonable profession. Possibly because at 4 years old, there was no arguing with me, or because perhaps she thought I’d get over it eventually! But I didn’t and Mum has quite literally been my number one fan and most loyal cheer squad. Every time I’ve threatened to quit, she’s called my bluff. I get my strong empathy from her, a trait I deem pretty essential for actors to have. She has probably spent the grand sum of years of her life listening to my tears, my wins, practising lines and accents. She made all my early costumes, she accompanied me to every college audition, paid for countless classes, has never missed a performance, and not many things bring me more joy than when she smiles and says how proud she is of me. She has always showed me that no matter what happens out there, I am talented and I am enough.

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Image Credits
Anastasia Velicescu