From stately oaks and broad magnolias to a hit Web series and hobnobbing with Betty White, actor and University alumnus Nathan Frizzell has come a long way.
The actor recently received word that "Bloomers," a Web series in which he played a main character, will shoot a second season. The series was well received, and one of Frizzell's
colleagues, as well as the directors, was nominated for Indie Soap Awards in December.
Frizzell describes "Bloomers" as a modern version of "Friends" meets "The Office." He compares his character, Ross Buchanan, to Jim Halpert from "The Office," as they are both "all-American doofuses." Frizzell said the show's cast, which includes students from an acting class he takes in Los Angeles, is excited to shoot another season of the show — especially with the prospect of a higher budget.
Beyond "Bloomers," Frizzell has appeared in episodes of "Veronica Mars" and "CSI: New York." He recently finished
taping a guest spot on TV Land's "Hot in Cleveland," in which he got to perform with famed actress Betty White.
"She's everything you expect Betty White to be," Frizzell said. "The woman's 90 years old with a razor-sharp wit."
Frizzell also takes pride in appearing in a currently running Coors Light commercial.
"It ran during a Saints game this year, and I had friends and family calling me to verify that they'd seen me in the commercial," Frizzell said.
The acting bug bit Frizzell early — he started doing community theater at age 7. But he did not consider acting as a serious career path until attending LSU.
"I was originally a political science major as a freshman," Frizzell said.
The 29-year-old said his perspective on acting was altered when he was cast in a lead role in a play at the University during his freshman year. The director of the play, John Dennis, pulled Frizzell into his office shortly after the casting process to question him on his major.
Frizzell told Dennis he enjoyed theater but was majoring in political science to have "something safe to fall back on."
"[Dennis] told me college was a great building experience for acting and that I should use the time to get all of the training I could get," Frizzell said.
Frizzell credits the University with helping him transition from a performer with good instincts into a trained actor.
"School turned my acting into something real through training," Frizzell said. "it's helped me focus on what I wanted as an actor and how to approach acting as a business."
