Nicky Whelan is a remarkable actress whose unwavering love for animals matches her undeniable talent on the silver screen. With her infectious charisma and genuine devotion to the well-being of our furry friends, she is hard not to fall in love with. Apart from working in sanctuaries and appearing in movies like The Best Man, Nicky has blended her passion for animals and film by hosting a segment of Bondi Vet. Today, we turn our focus to the extraordinary life and work of this compassionate actress, as we uncover the heartfelt efforts she undertakes to rescue and protect those who have no voice. Read on to learn more about Nicky Whelan.

Where are you based?
I am based in Los Angeles California.

What inspired you to pursue acting?
I was a dancer when I was very young growing up. I loved performing ever since I can remember. I was a TV host first, but always wanted to be an actress. I got an opportunity to audition for soap opera in Australia, and booked the role. Throughout primary school and high school it’s all I ever wanted to do; so, I never thought about anything else or pursuing any other career.

Your new film, The Best Man, is not your typical wedding flick. Can you tell us a bit about the movie and your character Brook? What was it like to work on the project?
The Best Man is really a story about two brothers, coming back and connecting and healing. It just happens to all take place around my wedding. Lol! My character tends to get a bit of bad luck, but these traumatic events she goes through seem to bring everyone together! I think Brook is very fragile, and she’s been through a lot. She relies heavily on her fiancé, to take care of her. She’s very smart and I think when her wedding is overtaken by terrorists she is very emotional, but also has been through this before.

You have been involved in a great number of films. What was the most important lesson you learned while working on the set?
Probably one of the most important lessons I’ve learned about being on a Movie set, especially as a lead character, is to be really prepared. Almost overly prepared. So when you get to the job, you can really enjoy the process and really play around with your character and their journey once you get there. It takes a good couple of days to really fall into a rhythm. That’s why I admire people who come in and do a day on a movie or a guest spot, it’s very challenging, and almost harder than being the lead actor.

What was the most fascinating or your favorite project you ever worked on?
The most fascinating project I’ve ever worked on, is knight of cups with Terrence Malick. That man is from another world. He is wonderful and he creates this entire world and you get to live in and play around. I will never forget that process and what I was like working with him. He is truly a genius and incredible, one memorable project.

In addition to acting you are very passionate about animals. We've heard about your efforts with Last Chance for Animals and the Spirit of Animal Sanctuary. What prompted you to focus on this issue and work with these organizations?
After living in Los Angeles for a period of time, I started to learn about different events and charities that rescue and take care of all kinds of animals all around the world. Something about it really hit my heart strongly. I was so lucky to connect with the people from Last Chance for Animals, and become part of this family, along with Spirit Animals, a sanctuary, an hour out of Los Angeles that takes in every kind of animal that needs help! I work out there a lot with Rhea the owner and I get to be a part of some incredible rescue missions along with working with animals every day. I love Rhea and her crew of people, they work their asses off every single day taking care of hundreds of animals. It’s so beautiful, when you see the transformation of these animals that come in and you see them thriving and enjoying their life.

Spirit of Animal Sanctuary is especially special with their focus on working with dogs that have been abused. Can you tell us a little bit about your work with these organizations?
I’ve come to learn that a lot of the sanctuary’s and rescue facilities, all around Los Angeles all tend to know each other, and really take care of each other. If one can’t take an animal, another one will pick it up and vice versa. It’s a pretty incredible community of people who will spend their days, jumping on planes or sitting in cars for three or four days at a time, traveling across the country to save the life of an animal in need.

What does aiding animals in need mean to you? How has it influenced your life?
I will be forever grateful for being invited into this family of people that work in the animal rescue field. There is something in my soul that is very drawn and passionate about this kind of work. Animals do not have a voice, and I do believe that it is our responsibility to take care of them as best we can while we are on the Earth.

When you remove the focus from yourself for a while, and really put your energy into things that help the Earth something about the universe gets behind you and people get involved and magic happens. It’s almost like the earth knows that you’re trying to help it and it will get behind you every way possible. It can be really hard at times and very heartbreaking. But I really believe it’s our responsibility and I’m glad that my heart is so drawn to work with these animals.

We admire how you are hosting a segment of Bondi Vet and combined your concern for animals with your film background. Could you offer us a sneak peek of what is to come?
I posted a few things on my Instagram about some of the rescue missions I was able to be a part off with Rhea. Bondi Vet, and the guys who created the show are friends of mine in Australia, and asked if I would like to film some of the work we do for their show. We had a crew come out and film a bunch of episodes, which will be airing soon. Bondi Vet is an incredibly successful show that’s been created out of Australia. Their biggest audience is actually in the USA! I was really excited to be able to show some of the amazing work that The Spirit of Animals has been doing, and what really goes on behind the scenes.

We love that for this shoot you were able to model with some adorable animals! Do you have any fun moments with them that you can share?
Rhea was able to bring up a few of the babies from the sanctuary to join into the photo shoot. These are farm animals, and they behaved so well in the studio that they actually fell asleep by the photographer Roberts feet while he was shooting. All of the animals that were part of the shoot have been rescued from really horrific scenarios. Their back stories are so sad and to think they still show up with so much love. I was really excited to do this shoot because we were allowed to invite the animals.

Do you have any other exciting new projects coming up?
I do have a couple of movies coming out over the next few months that I shot last year. I’m looking forward to seeing them. And I did shoot a bunch of other movies this year. So it’s been a great first half of the year.

It has been a crazy past few years, how have you been staying positive?
I know it’s been hard to stay positive with so many massive changes happening throughout the world, enormous tragedies countries, going to war and people living in great fear. We feel like we’re constantly stepping into the unknown and things are changing by the day. I’ve always had quite a sprightly nature, even when things are at their worst. When I wasn’t working, and things weren’t going great, I was so lucky to find a farm in the sanctuary and just go and work in the dirt shoveling and being around animals is the best therapy I’ve ever had in my entire life. A very dear friend of mine always said to me, just take one step at a time we don’t have to solve all of the worlds problems in one day. Focus on just the next 24 hours.

I think if you can find some thing, you’re passionate about the requires, giving back and taking the energy away from yourself it helps put things into perspective. The world needs a shit ton of help, love, and work right now.

What is your motto in life?
I guess you could say my motto in life is just to keep on going, whatever that looks like. We are here for an incredibly short amount of time. Because of social media now we’ve all had a chance to see some of the horrific things that happen in this world. When Things are going shit in your life get busy helping someone else for a minute.

In the end, we are all in this together.

To learn more about Nicky Whelan, please follow her via the links below:
Twitter: @NickyWhelan
Instagram: @nickywhelan
Facebook: Nicky Whelan
@spiritofanimalsrescue

Team Credits:
Photographer: Robert Lynden
Stylist: Christina McNown
Makeup: Sarah Sullivan
Hair: Serena Radaelli

Special thanks to Spirit of Animal Sanctuary for bringing the adorable furry friends to set!

Editorial - Nicky Whelan is on a Mission