Sky’s the limit for model-turned-actress Nicole Grey

It wouldn’t be the first time the statement, ‘sky’s the limit,’ has been used to introduced Pulse model Nicole Grey– who answers to the sobriquet, Sky.

As a model, she has made the rounds internationally, but recently is in a state of euphoria because of her acting career. Sky is playing the role of a caregiver in the award-winning Bahamian film —Cargo, set to be released in Jamaican cinemas this week. This does not mean that she has retired from the runway, “Acting has not necessarily taken the fore, the thing is, I enjoy modelling, but it’s not as fulfilling as acting and music for me.” Not to say she doesn’t find her first love fulfilling, but as someone who has struggled with Dyslexia, acting has contributed a great deal to her growth. “For years I was embarrassed about being dyslexic – now I talk about it, learning through my journey that a lot of talented actors are living with the learning disability,” Sky told The Gleaner. It’s a condition she says that has contributed to her acting career. “It allowed me to have a photographic memory, which helps in memorising conversations, and more importantly – any script in a unique way.”

Her first acting début was in Nile and Storm Saulter’s feature filmBetter Mus’ Come in 2011, in the female lead role of Kamala, before moving on to the big screen with a role inRestless City. According to the model-turned-actress, it was her cameo in 112’sNa Na Na Na music video featuring dancehall legend Super Cat in the early 2000s, that really helped her transition into film.

“When the director ofNa Na Na Na told me I was really good with the camera, and that I should consider acting, that did it for me,” Sky said. She even tried her hand – and voice – at a career in music when she recorded and released the trackLollipop.

Dubbed the largest Bahamian film project ever,Cargo, which was written and directed by Kareem Mortimer and Alexander Younis, focuses on human trafficking and its effect on families. So far, the film has earned the 2017 Bahamian Icon Award and the Amnesty International Human Rights Award and has been recognised as Best Feature from the Diaspora at the Silicon Valley African Film Festival and Best Feature at the Haiti International Film Festival in Los Angeles.

“We are living in a visual world; there is no doubt that film is one of the best ways to get your story across. I don’t have the words to explain the emotions I experienced bringing the character to life!” she exclaimed. She continued, “It’s probably rare to play the lead in your first two movies without any formal training, but one might say it is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. I love that I have only had really pleasant directors to work with, who I label as teachers, so in the end, I am really lucky, in that I’m learning in real time,” she added.

This new role, she says, only confirms her belief that one can be and do whatever the heart desires: “My heart had always longed for me to be an actress.”

Unlike her previous projects, Cargo was different and required more of her talent; she had to do her own stunts instead of the wonted stunt devil. “It stands out from previous scripts is the topic. Human trafficking affects families worldwide, the Caribbean included,” she explains, while in the same breath stating that she only agrees to take roles that are meaningful and carry a message she thinks people need to be exposed to. Similarly, her previous script also bore a strong subject asRestless City was about the life of an African immigrant in New York. “Not saying I would not do something for the fun of it – I love what I do – but I’m not starving for it in the sense that I would do anything, so I can take my time and wait on meaningful projects.”