Teen actress Nicole Elizabeth Berger weighs in on today's social media impact on the entertainment industry. Have we really lost sight of what it means to put on a great performance so the viewer becomes invested in our character? Sure, the entertainment business, just like most businesses, wants to make money.
But we have to ask ourselves to what extent are we willing to sacrifice talent over social media presence?

Nicole Elizabeth Berger, who you'll recognize most recently from films such as Runt with the late Cameron Boyce, and Clover, directed by Jon Abrahams, shares her values, thoughts and how she's advancing her acting career by hard work and dedication to the craft.

Cecily was an emotional role to play, and I had to be able to convey that in my readings for the part. I was introduced early on to the producer, Carl Rumbaugh, and the director, Bill Coakley. Their original thought was to have someone older than me play the role of Cecily, but I was given the opportunity to prove myself and convince them that I could make the relationship with Cal work within the framework of the film. I was given less than a day to prepare for the audition and started by reading several scenes with the producer's associate, Gregory Thomas.

The following day, I was called back for readings with Coakley and Rumbaugh, who were very enthusiastic about having me in this role. I was put on the spot and asked to work through the sexual-assault scene; apparently, this went well, and my agent got a call soon thereafter with an offer for the role of Cecily.

The producer encouraged me to work with my acting coach, Susan Batson, in advance of filming to fine tune my characterization of Cecily and my relationship with Cal.

As I mentioned, once I got in front of the decision makers, the process went quickly. My parents heard from the producer roughly at the same time as my agent at Paradigm heard from the film's casting director. Everyone that I told about this opportunity was incredibly positive about the chance for me to play opposite a great young actor like Cameron Boyce. While I knew Cameron as a Disney film and TV star, he turned out being much more than that. He immersed himself in Runt and set an example for everyone on set of the need to be "in-character" every day. He is an incredibly talented actor -- charismatic and genuine.

The first thing that went through my mind was that this film was going to be a dark story about the challenges faced by teenagers. So many kids in our society come from fractured families and feel alone. In the best of circumstances, teachers, guidance counselors and relatives can step in as mentors or surrogate parents. However, in this film, the adults are present but uninvolved (e.g., Cecily's father and Cal's mother). They are unwilling or unable to fill the shoes of a parent, making the kids feel even more isolated and lost and leading to even worse decisions on the part of the teenagers. The audition process dealt directly with these extraordinary matters, as I was asked to read the sexual-assault scene with the film's director. He wanted to be sure that I could handle these challenging scenes. Of course, I was given the option not to accept the job, but given the conversations that I had in advance of receiving the offer, I was ready to deal with the teen angst and violence.

I am grateful to Susan Batson for giving me the proper guidance in preparing for the role of Cecily in the film. I had previously worked with one of Susan's colleagues, Marian Cantone, in preparation for earlier films when I was much younger. Since Ms. Cantone's death a few years ago, I began working with Ms. Batson.

My character is the target of a sexual assault by an egotistical high-school jock. Ms. Batson helped me push past the acting challenges of living through a sexual assault, as the implications were even more severe considering Cecily's age in the film. Ms. Batson and I focused on the three principles of character development in order to deliver a grounded and truthful performance: the need, the persona and the tragic flaw. Ms. Batson wanted me to overcome the common misconception of "method acting," merging the three basic principles into a single consolidated approach. Ms. Batson and I worked together from the time I was cast to the start of principal photography, and she participated in a table read with many of the main actors in attendance. We then continued our work during filming, and she made a mark of dedication by visiting set and providing further input. Ms. Batson is a unique teacher; she has a soothingly distinctive voice and always conveys her commitment to making me a better actor.

Clover is full of twists and turns that go from funny to violent. I believe that the movie does a great job balancing the two moods and creating a very entertaining story. Some have called Clover a "crimedy" -- a cross between a crime story and a comedy. I look at it more as a modern-day Godfather with Chazz Palminteri playing the role of gangster, Vito Corleone. I play the namesake character, Clover, and seem like an innocent teenage victim -- a witness to my father's murder. However, you quickly see that there is much more to my character -- a toughness and cool personality. We were going to have a theatrical release of Clover in theaters across the country, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, showing the film in theaters has been put on hold. Hopefully, we will be able to go to movies soon again in the theaters, but that's certainly some time off. Comparing the productions of Clover and Runt is straightforward as Clover was a much larger and more complex production. The Clover cast included eight major actors, multiple set locations, such as an old train station, a specially built underground private club, and the deserted silos of the Buffalo grain industry. The DP in Clover used multiple cameras (vs. only one in Runt). Craft services were similar in both films, except that there were many more people to keep fed in Clover.

I have generally gone to regular schools -- particularly ones that have been understanding of my outside activities and my need for a flexible schedule. I did spend one year (9th grade) at an incredible online global school (The Dwight School), giving me the opportunity to work on my films throughout the year.

I am currently a sophomore drama student at the LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York City (the Fame school). Now, I am doing online distance learning at LaGuardia (a very difficult task for drama majors) because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I have had the benefit of online and in-person tutors to help me manage my overlapping academic and professional interests. Even while pursuing my acting career and being in nine films, I have been able to maintain high-honors grades in advanced courses. The pandemic and online distance learning have given me the opportunity to spend more time practicing piano, reading scripts, working on my novel (non-fiction) and taking on new musical projects.

I have spent most of my life in New York City, although I have lived for prolonged periods of time in Palm Beach, Boston and Santa Monica. New York has been my primary home, but we lived in Boston for several years when I was younger, since my dad founded and was CEO of a biotechnology company that was headquartered in Cambridge, outside of Boston. We lived in the LA area for a while, because of my work and filming. I often describe my life as "bicoastal." Both of my parents grew up in New York, and my mother attended LaGuardia High School of Music & Art -- the school that I attend now. She is a classical violinist and was concertmaster at LaGuardia in 1981-1982. She went on to obtain advanced degrees from the Manhattan School of Music. My father is a physician-scientist, entrepreneur and biotechnology executive and obtained his medical degree from Yale School of Medicine. He became a tenured professor at Yale and Emory School of Medicine. Over the course of his career, he led the development of seven new medicines for patients with difficult-to-treat cancers like leukemia and lung cancer, heart disease and immune-related diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. On a personal note, I live with my parents and younger sister, Isabella, mainly in New York City. I love to travel and enjoy exploring the world. We have spent extended time in many countries in Europe (especially in Greece), the United Kingdom and Northern Europe (crossing the Arctic Circle last summer), and Australia (a lengthy trip last year). This has led to my interest in anthropology, along with my longstanding passion for astrophysics and astronomy.

My goal, first and foremost, is to be a good person. I want to be judged based on my character and my commitment to excellence. These have not changed as I have matured as an actress. Now, I want to be the best actor I can be and respected by my friends and fans. I am not chasing any social-media targets -- some huge number of followers. I want to be judged by the quality of my work as a performer. I hope to build on my acting and pursue music and high-fashion modeling as well. Mentors and women to look up to are especially important. I look up to actresses I have worked with, such as Jennifer Beals, Teresa Palmer, Jessica Szohr, Erika Christensen and Paulina Porizkova. I also look up to Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson for their depth of talent and stunning appearance on screen. Jennifer has spoken with me about the importance of getting a strong education. She attended Yale and has said that it provided her with the foundation for her career. In her words, it made her a much better actor. Paulina has combined being a super-model with acting. She has stressed the importance of good health and taking care of yourself. I hope to follow in their footsteps, and my goal is to attend a university with an extraordinary drama program like Yale or NYU (Tisch) to achieve these goals while continuing to push forward as an actor.

This is a really hard industry, especially for those starting off early. With time, I have learned to accept rejection. I have auditioned for many parts that I really wanted and thought I would be good at. The process by which actors compete for roles is not always ideal. It is not efficient or, at times, fair. Self-tapes and social media numbers have become the means which casting directors often pick and choose actors for movies. I would far prefer meeting with a casting director or director and being judged based on my personal attributes and prior work. In any case, I will do whatever it takes to show my acting abilities so long as I can maintain a high level of integrity and devotion to my art.

I pride myself on being very well read -- both fiction and non-fiction. I read contemporary screenplays and stories as relaxation. Now, when I read a script for the first time as part of an audition or self-tape, I put myself into the character's head and try to see how I can convey my insights into the story. To be an artist today requires immense concentration and devotion to each opportunity. When I am cast, I try to block out the work around me and dive into the character I am playing. I saw Cameron do this very well when we were on set together for Runt. He would not even let his parents, sister or best friends come to set. He was immersed in his character.