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He is an actor and a model. He is an ambassador for persons with disabilities. And he’s a foodie.
Orson Nurse has a love for different sporting disciplines, one of which led him overseas where he now pursues a career he is passionate about.
Born in 1983 in St. Kitts, Orson attended St. Peters Primary School, Basseterre Junior High School and Basseterre Senior High School before moving to the United Kingdom where he is now making a name for himself while keeping thoughts and engagements in St. Kitts and Nevis at the fore.
Recently, he starred in the film 83 alongside two other Kittitians, an accomplishment he is proud of, that made his country very proud as well.
Let’s get to know Orson Nurse.
LC: Who is Orson Nurse?
ON: Orson Nurse is a very dedicated hard working caring individual who does not take NO for an answer.
LC: What do you do for a living?
ON: I am now a full-time Model / Actor. I always wanted to be in the arts because whilst growing up I would do drama with my mom as she always wrote plays and gave me parts to play; so, I always knew I would go back to it one day. I feel at home when I am playing different characters.
LC: What was it like acting in the movie 83? What’s next for your acting career?
ON: 83 has been the highlight of my acting career to date. It was a big budget with the two of the biggest Bollywood stars on the scene at the moment. That experience alone has opened up so many doors. For my face to be seen by a billion people is just crazy to me. I have done other small projects and I am shooting a new underground film at the moment.
LC: What is your fondest memory of growing up in St. Kitts?
ON: I wouldn't exchange my childhood memories for anything, but one of my most fondest memories was playing ‘small goal’ between the alley outside my house and using 2 big stones as the goals. The rivalry used to be fierce between me and my brothers, with me being the oldest.
LC: What did you often get into trouble for growing up
ON: My mom used to say don't leave the yard and I always disobeyed and got beaten for it. One time she told me not to leave the yard and I still went out and fell and broke my arm. She beat me on the same broken arm. I had 4 brothers growing up so I would get beaten for things they did when it wasn't even me who committed the offence; I just happened to get home first so I got the licks.
LC: How did you spend your summers as a child
ON: From the sun showed its face, I was on the road! From going to the river up Fountain and Greenhill to running through the cane fields, hopping tractors, then going to ‘look mangoes’. I would end my day on the football field then onto the cricket field, then finish off on the basketball court then repeat the next day.
LC: How did you get into cricket?
ON: It's actually a funny story about how I got into cricket because I didn't like cricket at all. I was a really good footballer and so was my younger brother Aiden. People would compare us a lot, some would say Orson’s better, some would say Aiden’s better and we were both so competitive. I got sick of the rivalry and stopped playing football and took cricket seriously and found out I was really good at it. So, I pushed myself, trained really hard and ended up playing for St. Kitts and the Leeward Islands.
LC: Do you still have a love for the game?
ON: I still follow the game and still have really good friends within the game. Chris Jordon being one of my really close friends, I tend to still go to watch international matches.
LC: What do you think of the state of cricket in St. Kitts?
ON: Personally cricket in St. Kitts is not like what it used to be. I remember playing in 4 different leagues growing up. Nowadays you can hardly find one proper league. I think they focus more on the international matches and have forgotten all about the grassroots. Something needs to change and it needs to change immediately before the sport diminishes altogether.
LC: How and when did you end up in the UK?
ON: I received a scholarship to play cricket in the UK in the Birmingham Premier League. I left St. Kitts on 18-04-2004. The season was only for 6 months but after the season had finished, my aunty convinced me to stay and spend some time with her, the rest is history.
LC: Did you struggle with culture shock when you first moved there?
ON: It was a massive culture shock moving to the UK. Firstly, trying to adapt to the food was the most difficult thing for me. Also, playing for a club where I was just one of two black people on the team, I had to adapt quickly. I also struggled with the weather. I cried many nights because I hated the cold.
LC: How often do you get to visit home
ON: I had a routine where I would go home every other year, but as my career got quite busy that went out the window, so I think I went 3 years without going home and I was proper homesick. But I am back to regular programming now.
LC: What is the first thing you do when you visit Saint Kitts?
ON: The very first thing I do when I go home, I leave the airport and I go straight to the St. Peters Anglican Church graveyard to sit and speak to a few people; my grandmother being the first stop as she is at the very front of the church. I was very close to my grandmother growing up. She practically raised me as my mother was always busy working 2 or 3 jobs. I would then visit my brother's grave. I lost my brother when he was very young due to a hole in his heart. I would then visit my best friend's grave. He lost his life whilst I was living in the UK. I would then finish off my tour by visiting Assinette Anthony's grave better known as Dolly she practically was like my second mother; I grew up in her shop.
LC: What are your favourite things to do in St. Kitts?
ON: Whenever I am home, I spend a lot of time on the beach. I love to train there at mornings. I also enjoy the entertainment in the evenings. I spend a lot of time at the persons with disabilities centre as I am an ambassador for them in the UK.
LC: What are some things you must eat during your visit to St. Kitts?
ON: I am a massive foodie so I don't leave until I get my cookup, my goat water, my roti, my black pudding and my conch chowder. When I'm leaving the country, my suitcase is full of butter bread, raisin rolls and tea bush.
LC: What do you miss most because you cannot find it in the UK?
ON: Sugarcane. I love love love sugar cane and get really depressed when I can't get it.
LC: How different is it for you to talk to someone from St. Kitts than someone from the UK?
ON: I have no issues when it comes to that. I am quite good when it comes to switching my accents depending on what setting I am in. Thankfully I still have a very broad Kittitian accent after being away from home for 18 years.
LC: What’s one thing you know if you made mention of people there would not understand?
ON: When I try to explain to them how black pudding is made, that is always a topic of great discussion.
LC: Do you have plans to return to St. Kitts to live?
ON: Yes. I can’t retire in this cold place! I need sunshine on my bones so there is definitely a plan in place.
LC: What’s one thing about you that few people know that you’d be willing to share?
ON: I am a people person. I have a very caring nature and I am that guy that is always looking to support or help someone… So I may or may not venture into politics one day.
LC: What is your personal credo?
ON: I am busy creating that life that I don't need a holiday from.
L.C: What's next for Orson Nurse?
O.N: The world is my oyster. There are millions of opportunities out there so I will be busy discovering what the Lord has planned and in store for me.
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