BEYOND THE SPOTLIGHT w/Nicole Lynn Evans

Nicole Lynn Evans is a force in Hollywood, not just for the roles she plays, but for the stories she chooses to tell. An award-winning actress, writer, and producer, she is redefining what representation looks like—both on screen and behind the scenes. With an unshakable passion for storytelling and a determination that knows no limits, Nicole is building a legacy that challenges industry norms and expands the boundaries of what’s possible.

ALLIÉ: Let’s begin with your journey—specifically, your journey in Hollywood. From the outside looking in, it seems like a masterclass in resilience, creativity, and defying expectations. When you think about the moment you first realized that storytelling—whether on stage, on screen, or behind the scenes—was your calling, what was that moment like? And how did it shape the way you see yourself in the industry?

NICOLE: It’s kind of a long story, but I’ll try to make it entertaining. I’ve always been a very creative kid. My parents really encouraged my brother and me in the arts growing up, so that was just part of our upbringing. I did a lot of choir, school plays, yada, yada, yada. I put on magic shows in my parents’ living room when I was a kid—God bless them for sitting through that. It’s always been who I am. I loved entertaining. Then, when it was time to go to college, I had it in my head that I had to get a "big girl" job. I enrolled in all these math and science classes. And I’m good at math and science, don’t get me wrong, but it wasn’t what fulfilled me.

In terms of the moment, I came home from school—it was like my first week in college—and I remember telling my mom, "Oh my god, this is depressing." I was really upset about it, and she said, "Why don’t you enroll in theater courses? Take art classes. You’ve always loved that—why aren’t you doing that?"

It hadn’t dawned on me that I could pursue that as an adult. I don’t know—it sounds ridiculous saying it now, but at the time, it just didn’t occur to me that you could get an education in that. The moment she said that, I went to my computer, enrolled in the right classes, and the rest is history.

I always tell people—if you want to make friends, join an acting class. And get involved in theater. It’s the best education. You learn how to work in a productive environment, on a deadline, on a budget, with multiple personalities, and you have to do public speaking. It really covers everything.

ALLIÉ: Yes! What a great education that is! It’s interesting to me because so many people say, "Oh, but I can’t make a career out of this. I can enjoy it, but I can’t become this." It sounds like you got the right advice at just the right time.

NICOLE: My mom—oh, thank you, Mom! And thanks, Dad, too, of course.

ALLIÉ: Let’s talk about Hollywood’s format. Hollywood has long been defined by rigid standards—who gets cast, who gets to tell the stories, and what audiences are ready for. As an actress, writer, and producer, how do you navigate these industry walls and rewrite the narrative to make space for stories that reflect the full spectrum of human experience?

NICOLE: In terms of navigating the industry—just putting on my creative hat for a second—I think it’s super important for artists to constantly be working on their craft. Be in active classes, take a seminar, join a writing workshop—just really work those creative muscles. Stay sharp. Be so good they can’t ignore you.

And parallel to that, you have to find your community. For me, that community is the disabled community. It’s really hard to go at this—or any—industry alone. Finding my community within the entertainment space was a game changer. It’s incredibly supportive, it’s a networking environment, and we’re all moving in the same direction—advocating for our community and proper representation. This is critical—you’ve got to find your people.

ALLIÉ: Yeah, absolutely. Finding your people—that’s everything.
Let’s talk about your production company. With EZG Entertainment, you’re not just telling stories—you’re building a legacy. What’s the most personal project you’re developing right now, and what truth does it hold that you feel the world needs to see and hear?

NICOLE: Great question. I have a lot of cool projects I’m working on right now. First up with EZG, we’re working on a docu-series about love and relationships through the perspective of people with disabilities. Separate from that, I’m developing two pilots and a feature. My wheelhouse is edgy, dark comedy with heart and a twist of disability. So, we’re looking for buyers—if anyone’s into that, please reach out to me!

In all of my work, I feel it’s important to show that people with disabilities are just like everyone else. We have the same ups, the same downs, and the same desire for love and connection. There’s no halo or perfect image here—we’re just normal people. And it’s important to show that perspective through the lens of someone with a disability.

ALLIÉ: Let's take a moment and just talk about accessibility. That's an important word, an important topic. Let's talk about some of your work on the ground. What are you doing? And let's talk about reports, too. What can you tell us?

NICOLE: Yeah, so this is really exciting. Easterseals just unveiled their new report called Reimagining Hollywood: A New Lens on Disability Inclusion. It’s an impact report that examines the current state of disability inclusion in entertainment. It highlights the successes and momentum we’ve gained in terms of disability representation, while also addressing where the industry still needs to go to further disability inclusion.

So, Emily Ladau and I, along with Change for Balance and Easterseals, worked on creating these Blue Sky events—which are basically focus groups—where we invited folks with disabilities in entertainment to talk to us about their experiences working in the industry, what’s working well, and what’s not. Through these three different sessions, we walked away with—well, we rolled away, sorry—with eight key insights. They cover everything from celebrating our successes—like Ali Stroker winning a Tony, CODA winning multiple Oscars, and Crip Camp being Oscar-nominated—huge wins for representation. But we also focused on key areas for improvement, such as formalizing the role of a Production Access Coordinator. I have big feelings about that, and I’ll get to it in a second.

Another key takeaway was making sure studios understand that investing in inclusive content and authentic portrayals of people with disabilities isn’t just the right thing to do—it has a great return on investment. Those insights from our Blue Sky sessions were turned into the industry insights page of the report.

From there, we realized that to move forward with the vision of this project, a multimedia approach was needed. That led to our amazing partnership with The Wrap, where we have three featured articles written by Kristen Lopez, a disabled film critic and editor. Additionally, we have a two-part series in Variety that features a roundtable discussion with industry leaders and allies discussing the current state of disability inclusion in entertainment. And, of course, we collaborated with our long-standing partners at HRTS (Hollywood Radio and Television Society) and Film Independent. So we had some incredible partnerships to help bring this report to life.

One of the key insights from the report was the call to formalize the Production Access Coordinator role within productions. This is a critical role—it’s a person who facilitates access needs and serves as a third party between the talent hired to do the job and the studio. Essentially, this is someone you can go to with your access needs, so you don’t have to experience that often uncomfortable feeling of directly disclosing them to an employer.

I know that when I was first starting out in the industry, discussing my access needs was really tough. I didn’t want to seem difficult or feel like I was asking for too much. And that’s not a great feeling to sit with. Having a Production Access Coordinator to facilitate and advocate for you during production is a game changer. It was something that came up repeatedly in our Blue Sky sessions—people really want to see more of this, and I think it’s something networks and studios can implement ASAP. I mean, let’s look at the COVID pandemic—when productions needed to get back online, they created the role of a COVID Coordinator to ensure the set was COVID-safe. That same template can be applied to formalizing and building upon the Production Access Coordinator role. It would create more jobs for people with disabilities and help folks stay employed.

ALLIÉ: Nicole, you’ve stood on stage as a keynote speaker, sharing wisdom with those who dream big but face unique challenges. What’s a piece of advice you once gave to someone about pushing through barriers that, in a moment of doubt, you had to remind yourself to follow?

NICOLE: It sounds super cliché, but—don’t give up. Keep moving forward. It’s okay to take a brief pause to course correct or reevaluate your approach—that’s important, and it’s part of the process. But the key is not to get stagnant. That’s where creativity dies. Keep moving forward. You might go in the wrong direction for a minute, but you’ll figure it out and course correct—it’s all part of the journey. A big part of it is figuring out what doesn’t work. You learn just as much—if not more—when something doesn’t work as when things go smoothly.

My call to action to the entertainment industry is this: Greenlight more projects led by disabled creatives. We have incredible stories to tell. And they don’t always have to be about disability—but we do need a bigger seat at the table.

ALLIÉ: I do have one more question for you today, Nicole. Hollywood is an illusion maker, but your life has been about something very real. Strength, determination, and the power of presence.  When you think about how you want to be remembered in the industry, what's the story you hope they'll tell about Nicole Lynn Evans? 

NICOLE: With this question I kind of feel like I'm writing my own obituary at this moment. 

ALLIÉ: You do have some dark humor. 

NICOLE: My hope is that people remember me as kind, friendly, and fun to work with who knows how to tell a good story. I just want people to feel good at having worked with me or any project that I'm a part of because life's too short for anything else. ∎

Follow Nicole on Instagram:
​@lifeisshort_

‘Hollywood Reimagined’ is an exclusive column produced in partnership with Change for Balance & AwareNow Media.