NICOLE RIEKO SETSUKO TALKS SOMETHING IN THE WATER

Interviewed by Culture Coast Talks editor Daniel John. Interview transcripts might have been edited for length and clarity.

In ‘Something in the Water’ the audience gets to hang around with a bride and her bridesmaids, celebrating love and friendship alike. That is, until they get shipwrecked, not able to escape the open, shark-infested, waters around them. What about this story made you want to go for a swim?

For me it was, honestly, less about the sharks than it was about the writing of the story. Cat Clarke, the writer, did an excellent job creating a story that, upon first read, and even many subsequent ones made me laugh, cry and had me at the edge of my seat. Truth be told I fell in love with the script instantly due to the nature of the relationship between the group of women and how carefully and specifically Cat wrote things out, from character descriptions to very telling actions, for each character. I think that something in this story really spoke to me, perhaps it was Cat’s ability to write a script that was simultaneously hilarious and incredibly heartbreaking. There was something about it that made me think, “I need to be a part of this” upon reading it. This, of course, is terrifying since the reality as an actor, especially an “up and coming” one, is that you won’t book most things. However, I got incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to be a part of telling this story.

I’ve heard some different stories from actors filming a “creature feature” throughout the years but none that were shooting in an ocean, which seems like it could get kind of panicky in itself, just thinking about there being something underneath the surface. Did just being out in the water do a lot for you, or what was that like?

Being in the water certainly did a lot for my sense of immersion. Especially getting to film in a boat that was actively sinking, which was a really cool experience! We shot most of the scenes that take place in the ocean in a tank on the Pinewood Studios lot which was certainly cool but also required some suspense of disbelief in order to produce real performances, since despite being in the water you do have a camera facing you, boom mics above you, and marine services-men ready to step in, should anything go wrong for real. I would also like to send so much credit to the stunt doubles of this production, they were the ones who were placed in the middle of the ocean for the drone shots and had to endure a lot including jellyfish stings, but did so with incredible positivity. So, a huge thank you to my incredible stunt-double Zoe Purdy as well as the other incredible women!

Did you have any prop to help you get the performances out?

When we were filming, we did have one of the marine services-men with a shark fin on their back and a sort of underwater jetpack circling us, so that practical effect was incredibly helpful in setting the scene. When you’re bobbing up and down in the water and you look over to see a shark fin circling you and are unable to see the man beneath, it does create a real sense of panic, even in the tank.

Your character, Cam Sinclair is the sister of the groom, a bit unrestrained in her ways, she's fun and excellent at making faces, but perhaps a little less good at good decision making?

To me, Cam is someone who had to grow up too quickly due to the weight constantly placed on her by her parents and, as a result, lost out on having a childhood where she could be boisterous, fun and carefree. As an adult, she lives in a way that aims to reclaim that lost time. She is a bit of a loose cannon, but she cares deeply about her loved ones and she wants them to be able to enjoy life too. She may be silly and a bit immature. Perhaps an understatement there, but, as we get to see in the film, the second that she is needed, she snaps into action. It’s funny to see the mention of making faces as associated with Cam, I think that tends to be a personal trait that I brought into the character rather than something written for her.

Are you similar in other ways than the facemaking?

I think that Cam and I are very similar in a lot of ways, and yet quite different in key ones. She is incredibly outgoing and impulsive whereas I tend to be much more introverted and overthink things. However, I think the playful, goofy side of Cam really was just me in many ways. I think there’s a lot of Cam’s character background that I can relate to and in that way, Cam and I really are quite similar. Perhaps it is just how we would choose to act and handle situations that differs.

The chemistry between the five reuniting girl-friends comes off as really genuine. Did you get any bonding time before jumping in, or did you rather just find each other really quickly, sharing some common ground or, as to say, lack of any solid ground?

We had about a week before filming to get to know one another and fortunately, we hit it off instantly, which definitely helped to create that sense of camaraderie and friendship you see in the film, we made so many memories and gathered countless inside jokes both on and off set. I feel so lucky to have gotten to work alongside such talented, kind, and hilarious women. I’ll admit, I was definitely nervous since I hadn’t met them before we all got to the Dominican Republic and we were about to spend a month and a half together but it ended up working out incredibly well. Honestly, I’m sad that I live so far away from the others because I would love to get to see them all more and hangout.

You have acted in other, shorter, films before, as well as on the theatre stage. But this is really your first feature film-role?

Yes! This was my first feature film role and, honestly, I still find myself in disbelief that it happened, to have gotten the opportunity to work as a lead in a feature in the Dominican Republic as my first significant role just feels absolutely unreal. It was an truly surreal experience.

When did you first embark on this expedition into the performing arts?

I’ve been passionate about performing since I was very young. I started out with dance and voice lessons but I eventually transitioned more into theatre and film acting classes, for the longest time, I simply did it as a hobby that I was passionate about. The shift over to pursuing acting as a career as well as deciding to go to college and majoring in screen acting, happened when nerdy eight grade me saw 'The Hunger Games' movie in the theaters for the first time. I had read the books before the film was released so I had found myself utterly transfixed by that world and those characters being brought to life before my eyes. Something just clicked as I realized that people got to do this and create these stories for a living and the rest is history. Acting has always been something that fills me with joy and excitement, regardless of if I’m doing a fun scene or serious one. When I went through mental health struggles in high school, my theatre class was the only part of my day that I felt alive. When we were filming 'Something in the Water', things didn’t always go right, as is the case with making a film, but regardless of that, I always had such a great time getting to be on set and be a part of the filmmaking process. I am, by no means, a morning person and yet the 4-5 AM call times didn’t deter me. I was ready to get up and go, even though it meant hopping into the chilly tank around 7AM. Through it all, it just reaffirmed that this is what I’m meant to do.

Finding substantial roles can be a bit like trying to keep up with fish underwater. As you continue to dive deeper, finding new depths, what roles and stories are you excited to swim into next?

I am open to most things and genres, I feel that good stories are not limited to any one specific genre. But at the end of the day, I hope to get to tell good stories that reflect what it means to be a person in the world and all the intricacies of what comes with it but I will say that, after filming a decent bit of action for this movie, I have developed an affinity for filming action-sequences, because they are simply so much fun. I would also love to get to play some angsty dry-humor wielding type characters, characters like Rosa Diaz from the show 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' and April Ludgate from the show 'Parks and Recreation'. I'm also open to most types of characters, because you never know what’s out there and what you might enjoy. For example, I never thought that I’d end up getting cast as a wild, goofy character like Cam but I enjoyed every second of getting to bring Cam to life. I look forward the opportunities ahead and can’t wait to see what my future in this industry holds.