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

Hi Nina, career-wise, where do you want to be in the end?
At the end of my career, I want to be able to look back and know that I’ve engaged people. I want to know that I’ve told stories, all sorts of them, and made people feel things and care. I want to know that I’ve sparked conversations or food for thought of all kinds.

It is my hope that at the end of my career, I’ve inspired people to tell stories of their own, turning thought to creation, and made the world a more open-minded place for it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Before I moved to New York City for university in 2019, I grew up in the Philippines. It was there that I had first learned about my love for acting. I had grown up watching TV, wondering what I wanted to be because I couldn’t decide if I wanted to be a forensic anthropologist like Doctor Temperance Brennan on “Bones” or a surgeon like Doctor Meredith Grey on “Grey’s Anatomy”. I had been acting since fourth grade, but I had been in music and dance classes far before that, and, unbeknownst to me, I had never stopped it except for one or two years when I switched schools. Acting had been something that followed me basically my entire life that, by the time I was wondering if I wanted to go into law school like Elle Woods or become an archaeologist like Indiana Jones, I realized that I never wanted to be any of those things at all. I wanted to be a jedi, a queen, a warrior, a doctor, and an anthropologist all at the drop of a hat—I wanted to be an actor.

Getting my mother on board had been surprisingly easy. I think she knew I wanted to be an actor my entire life and had been surprised it had taken me so long to figure that out.

The struggles came when I was diagnosed with hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. The struggles came when my body had degraded on me and started falling apart while I walked the sidewalks of New York City. The struggles came when there was an entire pandemic that basically covered my entire college career when I was supposed to be learning how to act. The struggles came when I realized I only had one year to figure out how to prove to the to people that I was an artist.

They covered me in self-doubt and insecurity. I drowned in questions surrounding whether or not I could truly do what I wanted or if I should give up, and there were a lot of nights when I couldn’t do anything but cuddle my dog and cry to a Taylor Swift song. Then, I’d listen to “Reputation” and pick myself back up in the morning.

In that time, I’ve worked on a number of projects. I’m currently creating my own production company, led by other disabled creatives. We’ll be producing a podcast and a short romantic comedy later this year. In the past year, I’ve made two films that have gotten into festivals: “The Novel” was recently a quarter-finalist at Student World Impact Film Festival, and “Leave” was featured in Lime Arts’ 20 by 20 Fringe Festival. My TV Pilot script, “Wicked Wives” has won a handful of awards in screenplay festivals, too. I also had my Network TV debut earlier this year on Blue Bloods.

In Taylor Swift’s words, “I’ve been focusing less on doing what they say I can’t do and more on doing whatever the hell I want.” As a disabled, Asian nonimmigrant, I often feel like there are a lot of cards stacked against me. I’ve had to redefine what I counted as success very quickly, numerous times. If I think about the odds, I’d lose my mind, so I don’t. Instead, I think about what I can do right now to get myself to the place I want to be.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would go to the Natural History Museum because I am still the biggest nerd at heart. It’s also just one of those places that makes me feel grounded and, all in all, incredibly lucky to exist at the time I am currently existing.

For food, I’d immediately take them to Jolibee. I’m originally from the Philippines, so I have to. It’s one of the places I go when I’m homesick, weirdly enough, and if it were, say, my best friend Maegan (who’s in the Philippines) visiting, we could talk about home together.

Then, I’d go to Manhattan Beach. I’d relax and watch the waves with them, read a book, visit the aquarium if we wanted.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to my best friends, Maegan Lacson, Sydney Green, and Alexandra O’Sullivan, Natalie Velez, and Sophie Leiton Toomey. Without you, I would have lost my mind ages ago. Thank you for being my pillars of strength, sanity, and good-natured chaos. I would also like to give so much thanks to my dear friend who recently passed away, Cesca Evan. You were a light in my life and you kept me sane through senior high school. Until we meet again, my friend.

Website: www.ninanaval.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zebra.nina

Image Credits
Alexandra O’Sullivan Cecilia Jane Nina Naval

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