About the movie
Nicole said, “I was out here in Pittsburgh for about three-and-a-half to four weeks first. It’s me and two other girls who are the ring girls.”
Starring Nick Nolte with Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Morrison and Bryan Callen, Nicole said this is the MMA version of “Rocky,” and is due out in the summer of 2010.
“There’s a storyline to it; it’s not a documentary about fighting or anything. It should be a really good action film with a good story behind it,” she said. “It’s a little more upscale, so instead of bikinis, we’ll be wearing cocktail dresses, and holding beach balls with the rounds on them. It’s more of a glamorous position than an eye-candy one.”
She got the part after auditioning for a film in L.A. when “Warrior” writer/director Gavin O’Connor, asked that producer casting help.
She said, “He said he was looking for three girls, so I sent my pictures and resume and I was chosen from my photos. It really shows how important networking is — that came true for this job,” adding, “They use a lot of the same people in their movies, and hopefully this will give me a better opportunity to get a feature film.”
In the movie, Nolte is a retired mill worker and recovering alcoholic named Paddy who raises his two sons as competitive fighters. As brothers, Tommy (Tom Hardy) and Brendan (Joel Edgerton) find themselves on a collision course in and out of the ring in the lead up to a $5 million MMA competition called Sparta.
Meeting, getting married
While Nicole was packing up her Marina Del Ray apartment with hometown friend Megan Barker, she received a Facebook message from Landon, who was also moving from the East Coast, trying to find good people, too, she said. Nicole was moving to Hollywood, also to get away from the L.A. scene.
She and Megan chatted about Landon. Nicole did some research on him, and afterward, told Megan, “Oh my gosh, we’re totally going to meet up and fall in love!”
While Megan thought Nicole’s first instinct was a little silly, something in Nicole felt very real.
She said Landon noticed she was from Indiana. “And, he was from Illinois. He said he didn’t think I would message back,” she said.
He wondered if there was a personality to match the beauty. So, Nicole razzed him about thinking she wouldn’t message him back. “He sent his number and I texted him that day. I told him we were going out that night.”
Later, Landon texted Nicole back and asked if he was invited “so they could meet up and fall in love.”
The rest, as they say, is history.
“We had a good time — we instantly connected,” she said.
After spending the next week together, Landon said, “Marry me; let’s go to Vegas!”
She said, “It seemed like the logical thing to do so I said yes!”
While the new couple was initially planning to run off alone, Nicole said they didn’t want to exclude their families, who are big parts of each of their lives — and would be after the union.
“We were kind of planning on eloping, but we decided it’s not just about us. We’ll be with each others’ families, so we told them about a week in advance. They bought tickets and came out. I found a little chapel on the strip and realized it was such a beautiful place to take photos. We went to the Red Rock Canyon — it was all the most beautiful thing and our families get along wonderfully.”
Life after marriage
Not only is Nicole now an aspiring actor, but her new husband is as well. A pilot, he was on delay as a private chartered plane with Tom Hanks. “They were able to talk and he ended up giving Landon a part in one of his projects,” Nicole said. As well as adding actor/model to his resume, Landon has also been the drummer for singer/musician Gavin De-Graw, among other things. “He is really trying to get himself out there, and he’s really musically inclined,” she said.
So, how will two fresh faces in the industry spend their time?
“Our careers was definitely something to consider,” she said. “We understand the entertainment business is really busy, and we understand the nature of the beast. That’s what attracted me to him most is that he knows what it’s like. We’re not always going to get to eat dinner at the same time every night; if we make plans, we may have to reschedule.”
Nicole understands, too, as well as Landon does, that to have a enduring life together is to support each other: “When one is successful, the partnership is successful.”
In the future, Nicole hopes to be farther along in her acting career, and with a musically-inclined husband, isn’t ruling out the possibility of an album.
“My husband is a wonderful guitar player and he also writes songs, so it’s not a stretch to say that someday I may have an album co-written and co-produced by my husband,” she said.
While children aren’t in their immediate plans, she did say they’ve talked and plan to wait awhile. “Who knows, maybe in five years we’ll have a litle one,” she said.
The newlyweds — living in North Hollywood to more easily attend auditions and castings — are planning a honeymoon after Nicole returns from filming. While her husband’s hometown is nearby Springfield, Ill., they do plan to return home when possible. “I love Indiana — it will always be my home,” she said, “I’ll try to get there as often as I can.”
The couple plans to have a reception in Indiana in the fall.