COURTESY NIKKO AUSTEN SMITH

Former Charlotte resident and Ardrey Kell High School graduate Nikko Austen Smith is in the cast of the movie “This Game’s Called Murder,” which debuts Dec. 3 on streaming platforms.

Nikko Austen Smith’s ethereal with an edge.

Soft but not brittle.

A rough and well-rounded exterior has provided a creative cushion.

A 2018 graduate of Ardrey Kell High School, Smith quickly learned that energy and emotion are two important parts of the mix for a successful acting career.

“Twelve-, 16-hour days are normal, what really helped was my willingness to accept the things that were coming at me,” she said.

Weeks filled with nothing but the adrenaline and desire to improve raw talent was bound to pay off. Smith consistently practiced locally at Matthews Playhouse, Miller Dance Academy and completed voice lessons with Dawn Anthony, who she calls “The GOAT.”

“She worked at the Children's Theatre of Charlotte and helped mold my voice into what it is today. I worked with her privately my junior and senior year,” said Smith. “She's an incredible mentor, both artistically and spiritually.”

Using acting as activism is a technique Smith is always eager to employ. In her role in the upcoming film “This Game’s Called Murder,” she emits those emotions in a futuristic world.
“It's unapologetic and vivid, imagine if Alice in Wonderland had a sister born in 2030,” said Smith. “Go into it expecting the unexpected and wanting to have fun.”

The movie, which stars Ron Perlman (“Beauty and the Beast,” “Hellboy”) is available on streaming platforms including Apple TV, Hulu, and Showtime. The release date was Dec. 3.

Smith’s teachers at Ardrey Kell also left a lasting impact. Bob Ewing, Hedi Breeden, and Terry Gabbard were just a few of the coaches who helped her advance to the next level of artistry. After earning her diploma, Smith went on to study acting at Coastal Carolina University, where she graduated summa cum laude with a 4.0 grade point average and was ranked third in her class.  

“Make time to eat because there are days when you go to your academic class and then you have dance class, acting class and theatre lit class and then rehearsal and work,” said Smith. ”Doing that for an entire semester can be very intense, but it's what you love to do and that’s why you're getting a degree.”

Despite her packed schedule, Smith still found time to appreciate the pieces that paint a larger picture.

“It's this cornucopia of knowledge that can be overwhelming,” she said. “But learning about the history of realism in theatre helped me realize what I wanted to do with my degree.”
However, that didn’t necessarily guarantee expedited results.

“I figured with my degree I'd hit the ground running but in reality, there are gaps and it takes a while to fill in those gaps,” Smith said. “You can grow during those times by taking classes whether it's archery or dance classes, acting classes: have a plan, whoever wants to be an actor have those goals.”

For Smith, those goals included landing a recurring role in television series. In 2020 she became a returning actor on hit television shows “Queen Sugar” and “The Birch.”  

“It's not about acting, it's about creating the life of a character and how that can feed you in real life,” said Smith. “I want to take a stand for the stories that deserve to be told.”

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