Olivia Clari Nice is a dynamic actor known for her captivating performances on stage and screen. From commanding roles in Shakespearean classics (Beatrice in Lileana Blain-Cruz’s Much Ado About Nothing) to nuanced portrayals in sci-fi dramedies (Restorage, Slamdance ‘24 Grand Jury Prize Winner), she brings depth and authenticity to every character she embodies.

With a solid foundation in classical training, Olivia honed her craft at Princeton University and The Studio/New York, a prestigious, accelerated conservatory program taught by NYU, Juilliard, and Yale MFA drama professors. Under the wing of master teacher Fay Simpson, Olivia became a certified Lucid Body teacher, using Jungian psychology, archetypes, somatics, and the chakra system to coach not only other actors but also her own performances. Her dedication to her artistry is evident in her ability to seamlessly transition between genres and mediums.

Olivia shines in both independent films and mainstream television, from the CW’s Walker to indie horrors, where she has garnered acclaim, including PCFF’s Best Actress in a Narrative Feature Award in March 2024. With a fearless spirit, Olivia has performed her own stunts in multiple feature films and has been featured in advertisements for over 100 brands.

Beyond acting, Olivia is a multitalented individual. She is fluent in French, a competitive-level swimmer, and an award-winning singer. Her experiences living and working in the US, France, South Africa, and Southeast Asia enrich her professional and personal endeavors. Her commitment to excellence and diverse skill set make her a standout talent in the industry.

After many summers abroad (equal parts languid and debaucherous), and nine entirely sleepless academic years, I graduated from Princeton at age 20 with a degree in Religion, fluency in French, and 40+ theater and film productions on my resume (including some I had written). At some point during a stay at a Buddhist temple in Yangon, Myanmar, I woke in the middle of the night, unable to untangle my understanding of Eastern religion and Western acting techniques. In my thesis, I directly compared the chapters of Stanislavski's "An Actor Prepares" to the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali, revealing sources previously censored by the USSR.

My academic interest is deeply rooted in an exploration of the metaphysical and the arts, and I independently engage with Stanislavski, The Lucid Body’s chakra work, anima/animus, Balinese Balerung ritual dance and performance, the Gnostic Gospels, and Carl Jung’s theory of individuation.

I’m also a published academic writer.

Top Pieces:

Federico Fellini's 8 1/2 as a Narrative of Jungian Individuation

Yoga for the Actor: The Hidden Key to Stanislavski’s System (Available Upon Request from the Princeton University Library)