Six-second internet videos are not the typical recipe for Hollywood stardom and professional modeling, but Nash Grier begs to differ. After initially posting Vine videos in early 2013, Grier quickly became an online success. His videos were seen by millions and internet fame immediately followed. Being a high school athlete with a passion for professional lacrosse, his long-term goals made a sudden shift to arts and entertainment once he realized that he could tell stories of his own. Acting was not at all on his radar and staged theater was not an extracurricular activity of his choosing. Having no prior experience outside of a few improv classes, performing professionally seemed unlikely. Internet fame brought him a following but as the time focused on sports began to dwindle, his love of storytelling became the only thing that made sense.
“I fell in love with storytelling...and I think that storytelling is a real niche that I want to fall into and I think I can use my internet background to help me do that whether it’s being an actor or a director…that’s what ultimately pushed me towards acting,” Grier said.
After the internet acclaim, he was offered his first film role in 2015. He played the role of Jack in the independent sports dramedy, The Outfield. Loving the experience on set and acting to tell a story for a wider audience than his previous work, he knew that he needed to relocate his efforts from North Carolina.
“I was young when I got into the digital entertainment world. I didn’t think it would last. I didn’t get into it on purpose…a lot of people definitely pushed me towards traditional media…when The Outfield was presented to me, it seemed like the next right step…that was the project that got me into LA,” Grier explained.
He followed up this performance with a supporting role in the thriller You Get Me recently released on Netflix in June 2017 starring Bella Thorne. Despite enjoying his time as an actor, Grier hopes to jump more into the world of directing. This was something he had only done online through his own videos along with a music video for the singer Bera entitled “I Look Good on You” for his own YouTube channel. Learning a lot on set has shifted a few of his interests to pursuing some behind-the-scenes work.
“I’m a sponge when I get on set, so I just try to watch everyone and learn as much as I can…I grew up playing sports and my family’s kind of a sports family so I don’t really know much about sets or the entertainment industry…you can really learn a lot about the movie being made and about movies in general,” he said.
On top of his film work, Grier manages to find time for professional modeling. He was recently seen at the Dolce & Gabanna fashion show in Italy during Milan’s Fashion Week. Grier loved the mixture of talent present at the event despite not considering himself to be as fashionable as many may think.
Grier explained, “The first Dolce [& Gabanna] show was amazing…just being able to be around other models, influencers and creators and musicians, they do such a great job of putting people together from literally all over the world and they would never be together otherwise and that’s what so cool about that event…I’m always grateful to be a part of something like that.”
Despite this success, his everyday fashion tastes remain simple and reflective of his own interests. When asked about his personal style, he admitted, “I don’t shop at a lot of brand name stores…I do like wacky sort of crazy stuff. If I’m in a shop, I like to shop at thrift stores and pick up one of a kind pieces and stuff like that. I like to mess with my clothes and paint them and rip on them…I don’t really wear any other shoes except boots, Vans or Converse…my style’s kind of changing and evolving. It’s kind of basic.”
Although he won’t be attending New York Fashion Week, he still has a lot on projects on his radar. Grier hopes to continue to tell stories in any way that he can. But in the meantime, he wants to continue his work as an activist while enjoying the recent relaunching of his YouTube channel. He is all over the place and he is loving every minute of it.
Follow Nash Grier:
Instagram: @nashgrier
Facebook: @nashgrier
Twitter: @nashgrier
Images by: @Btan96