Flair Magazine If you are a fan of the WWE, then you have heard of Natalie Eva Marie. And it you are not, no worries, you are soon about to. Also going by the nickname of NEM, the WWE wrestler may not be the ultimate fighter of the competition, but she is sure one of the more famous faces of it. Starting out only in 2013 the wrestler joined the WWE without a background in wrestling-an unusual feat in itself. In the same year she joined E Channel’s hit show Total Divas, leading her to quickly become a reality star. Sporting her famous fiery red hair, a mere three years later into her career NEM is not only a wrestler and a reality star, but also has a clothing line and hair extensions brand under her name. Recently she has traded her red locks to take on bigger roles, starring in two movies coming out this year. The first film is titled Inconceivable and places her in a role alongside Academy Award winners Nicolas Cage and Faye Dunaway, while the second film is an action packed film titled Action#1 where she plays a bounty hunter. Citing “The Rock” as her inspiration due to his smooth transition from WWE champion to acting, this femme fatale is conquering Hollywood one battle at a time. Enjoying success in and outside the ring, she’s definitely one to watch for 2017.
How did you get started in the WWE? Was it a dream of yours to be a WWE wrestler?
I got into WWE by going to a nationwide diva search. WWE would have these searches every few years in every major city. At the time, I was living in Los Angeles when WWE came into town. I told my mom, “This is my dream job”. I’ve always been athletic, I played soccer in college, and I watched WWE when it was WWF, with all my brothers. This job was everything I loved fused into one. Not only do you have to be able to handle all the physicality, but you entertain live audiences, and WWE does so much for the community. I’ve already had the opportunity to go to Afghanistan a couple of times to visit the troops, my father is a Marine so anything troop related I hold very close to my heart. I also have worked with Special Olympics and spoke at Be A Star rallies. After a couple of call-backs and then my four week in-ring try-out, I was granted a development contract. After that, I was supposed to move to Orlando and hope to make it to the main roster. However, WWE called me and asked me to go in for another meeting, which turned out to be for “Total Divas”. I ended up landing that opportunity, which put me directly on the main roster. It was one of those things that never really happens that way, and I was very grateful for how everything unfolded, especially so quickly.
What match was the most memorable for you in your WWE career?
My NXT title match with Bayley has been my favourite match so far. She is a phenomenal wrestler and we have a really electric dynamic when we step in the ring together.
Were you inspired to venture into acting by the success of Dwayne Johnson and John Cena?
Absolutely I admire John and Dwayne! When I came into the WWE I wanted to emulate Dwayne’s career because he was not only able to captivate the audience in the WWE universe but then the whole world. He was able to make that transition to Hollywood and start doing movies. He turned himself into a major superstar. The fact that I wound up with the same agent, and management company as him is just insane! God is so good, I really don’t know how this all fell into place for me- it’s truly a dream come true.
How did your experience in the WWE prepare you for acting?
In WWE you have to always be ready to go. There are cameras in front of your face, it’s live television. That really played a major role in preparing me for acting, getting used to being in front of a camera. The cameras on set didn’t feel that different from the “Total Divas” camera or the massive production that happens for WWE. With WWE you’re always moving, always on the go, and you’re constantly travelling from city to city. On top of that, you are conforming to different audiences so it really makes you think on your feet, and that helps with acting. I feel like the transition was fantastic in the sense of getting you prepared and getting you ready.
I think the obvious difference in film is that I’m not wrestling. My second film is an action film which I am very excited about, Action#1. While filming, I was able to utilize the training that I had with WWE and do all my own stunts. It was pretty insane that I was able to perform and do my own stunts that normally a stunt person would do. Then of course, filming a movie is not live, so you’re doing a million different takes from this angle and that angle. That’s really different from WWE because you’re doing a small portion of each scene as opposed to going live and having one take.
Reality TV seems exhausting with week after week of drama, how do you stay sane amidst it all?
I think it’s because I have such a great support system. My husband, helps me maintain a level head without getting too caught up in everything. Not only is reality TV kind of crazy but, I’m working with eight other women, so things can get a little fierce.
Having a business degree and running several projects yourself, did you always want to be an actress, or did it come with your interest in business?
I think all of my interests fused into one. I’m the youngest of a family of all boys, so I was always the center of attention. I love to put on a show, I love to be in front of people, I love to talk, and I’m definitely a social butterfly. I think all of those things I love have placed me exactly where I am supposed to be. My dad instilled in my brothers and I “You get out what you put into something”. In other words, “give it all you got. If you half-ass it don’t expect the outcome to be great.” Running my own business is something I have always aspired to. At a young age, I was inspired by people who ran their own businesses. Everything I’ve done up to this point has helped me get to where I am now; An athlete, entertainer, actress, and business-owner. Everything now is falling into place.
Your upcoming roles in Inconceivable and Action No. 1 vary greatly in terms of seriousness. What was different about each experience?
In Inconceivable, my character is just a small town girl, plain Jane, girl next door, not glam at all, barely any makeup, and is very low maintenance. Action#1 was very different because I’m this bounty hunter badass, wearing a tank top, cargo pants, shooting shotguns, and flipping dudes over my shoulder. Inconceivable is my first feature film, and I’m super excited. It’s with Nicholas Cage, Faye Dunaway, Gina Gershon and Nicky Whelan. It’s a thriller that centers around surrogacy and not being able to conceive, and the fear that some women go through when they get older and may not be able to carry a child. My character is a bit of the girl next door. I play Nicolas Cage’s wife’s (Gina Gershon) best friend, and my character falls in love with Nicky Whelan’s character – where the plot thickens. It’s pretty cool, and it was really one of those things where I couldn’t believe that it was real and that I was working alongside major Academy Award winners. Two days before wrapping Inconceivable, I booked my second film, Action#1, which is a comedy. I play this tough bounty hunter that Nicolas Cage hires to hunt down the person that stole his Action#1 comic, worth $2.5 million dollars. The cool thing about this film, besides me playing an entirely different character is that it is based on a true story about Nicolas Cage. Sometimes, I still find it hard to wrap my head around that it happened, and that I have officially finished filming two feature films.
The two characters are very extreme, and that’s why I’m so in love with acting because you get to mould yourself into these different characters and be somebody completely different. The great thing is that in both of these roles, I was able to pull from my own experiences. I found a little bit of Natalie Eva Marie in each character which was amazing as well. Both experiences were very different and special on their own.
You had to lose your signature red locks for a role. As it is your trademark look, do you feel any different without it?
At first, absolutely, because I moulded into “all red everything”, and it was something I was very used to doing. It wasn’t really a big switch because my natural hair colour is dark, but it was funny because the change even shocked me. It was a tough transition, but I think that is what entertainment is all about; being able to adapt, be a chameleon, and show that you are more than one type of character and you can be versatile which not only is fun but also important.
What style characterizes your fashion label?
I would say hip and modern. I’m a very casual chick, but sometimes I like to get all glammed up too. NEM Fashion is a little bit of everything. Sometimes I like to throw on sweatpants and a hair tie, and then the other side of me is definitely going to rock a heel and a full face of glam. I feel like my clothing represents all of my sides. NEM Fashion is for the everyday woman; it’s not type-specific whatsoever. My childhood best friend had a hard time finding clothing because she was always a little bit bigger than everybody. When I created this line with Janet and Jonathan, it was really important for me to also create clothing for all body types, not just one body type. That’s the whole reason I created this line, which birthed the NEM foundation which is all about self-love and body positivity. I think today, in the age of social media it can sometimes be hard to have a positive body image, which is something I also struggled with. Not only do I love clothes, but I also wanted to shine a light and be able to give back. A portion of NEM Fashion profits go directly to the NEM foundation.
What was the purpose of starting your NEM foundation and what do you hope to achieve with it throughout the years?
The NEM Foundation is extremely important to me. I’ve been through a lot in my life and now I want to share my experiences, strength, and hope, with as many men and women that I possibly can. With the NEM foundation, we have been able to coordinate a couple of boot camps, and the boot camps aren’t to necessarily lose weight or conform into a certain body type, it’s more about being healthy physically and mentally. I need to work out not only to stay healthy, but it’s also for my mental health. It’s all about uplifting one another. I think women, especially, feel there is only room for one person at the top, and instead encouraging one another we see women doing the opposite. I hope to spread the message that we as women are more powerful when we work and uplift each other. This all ties into feeling good about yourself. There is nothing more beautiful than a woman who is confident and comfortable in her own skin That is the beauty of beauty, it comes in all forms of age, shape, height, colour, and culture. Confidence radiates from within and then manifests on the outside. It transcends any myopic cookie cutter definitions of physical beauty set by media or culture. Every single woman is beautiful, and the more confident in who they are, their inner beauty will be reflected outwardly to whomever they encounter.
What is your hidden talent?
I can make a bomb pancake! I don’t think anyone can compare their pancakes to mine. It’s funny because my husband Jonathan is the cook in our house, he’s so good and so talented. I feel like I can definitely hang with him in the pancake department.
Written by: Hind El Ramly & Nour Ibrahim
