Late US break for Perth actor
It's a big dream of many young actors to take a chance and try their luck in New York. But *Nick Atkinson *'s age added an extra gamble into the mix when the *WA *-raised performer headed over to the Big Apple at 32 in an attempt to crack the US.
The *WAAPA * graduate had already spent time in Sydney and landed roles on Home and Away and Breakers but felt it was time to push his career further afield.
It was only when he landed on Manhattan soil that Atkinson realised the challenge before him.
"I was like 'Here I am, starting from scratch, what am I doing'," the actor recalls to _AAA _.
"But then I had to remember I had all this training and stuff to fall back on."
Fast forward 11 years and the bid has paid off for Atkinson, who now has a long list of stage and screen credits to his name, including his current role in the boundary-pushing Macbeth adaptation Sleep No More and voice-over work in *Russell Crowe *'s new film Noah.
He is also a muso, fronting US electronica band *Exotik Robotz *in his spare time.
Despite starting out a little later in life, the former *Aquinas College * student said he is now feeling more creative than ever.
"I am 42 but in my head I am 22," Atkinson says.
"You can't ever think to yourself 'I am a little old to be doing this', or 'I am a little old to be recording a first album with my band'.
"You are only as old as you feel - the Rolling Stones are still making music in their 70s."
Atkinson recently returned for a brief trip home to *Perth *, where he still has a collection of long-time friends, including designer *Aurelio Costarella *and *Emily Parish *of the Telethon Adventurers.
The *Gooseberry Hill *-raised performer says he feels lucky to be surrounded by people that inspire him.
"There are those friendships that never change - we just pick up where we left off," Atkinson explains.
"When you are surrounded by really successful people, it just makes you want to raise the bar."
Now back in New York, Atkinson will next appear in classic play A Moon for the Misbegotten and is working on both a novel based on his experiences growing up in *WA *and a crime screenplay.
JESSIE PAPAIN
'When you
are surrounded by really successful people, it just makes you want to raise
the bar.'
