How Breakout Star Joy Nash Prepared for Her ‘Dietland’ Audition in Just 3 Hours

Joy Nash was hardly expecting to book an audition for the AMC series “Dietland”—but then she booked the lead. Based on the 2015 book of the same name, the series, which premiered June 4, stars Nash as heroine Plum Kettle, a ghostwriter who is working for an ice queen magazine editor (Julianna Margulies) while also preparing for lap band surgery when she gets caught between two rival feminist groups. At the same time, powerful men accused of sexual assault go missing and meet violent deaths. It’s a show with a timely narrative, Nash says.

What has your latest role on “Dietland” added to your acting skills?

It’s changed everything. I studied acting in college, but that was a really long time ago, and I hadn’t taken an acting class after that because I couldn’t afford it. But a year ago, I started studying with Stephen Book, and I’m so glad that I did. I felt like I have a bag of tricks that I could rely on. I never felt underprepared. It definitely made me a better memorizer. That’s a muscle you work. I feel like so much of what I was able to do was thanks to the crew and the director. It felt like such a safe place.

Do you think “Dietland” feels especially pertinent today?

It’s insane. It’s so crazy to think that it’s based on a novel, but that was written three years ago, and she was working on that for 10 years before that. It’s oddly precious that we get to have it done right about now.

What does it mean for you to star in a series that is female-led?

It’s been incredible. This is my first experience, period, so I don’t have anything to compare it to. But from what people were saying, our set was so fun. Most of our EPs are women, we had a female DP—everyone. It was a really cool environment.

Does that add a level of comfort to things?

Totally. It never felt like a power struggle. It felt like I belonged, like things were valid from the get-go. There wasn’t a question about it.

How did you approach Plum given today’s climate around both gender and body issues?

It was easy for me. Because the book was so well-written and fleshed out and I identified so much with the character from the get-go, I felt really confident going in and asking myself, “How would I react in that situation? Oh, well, this has happened to me and I did X, Y, and Z.”

Do you often feel you can connect with her on a personal level?

Absolutely. Every single episode. Not just the weight stuff. The people she meets, the dates she goes on, her friends. It’s not, like, ripped from my headlines, but I totally felt like [show creator] Marti Noxon had been reading my diary. There are a couple of scenes where Plum does things that I would not. Those are the moments where I’m like, “Oh, right. I’m an actor.” I’m not being myself all of the time, I have to say things that, personally, I don’t agree with.

Have you used Backstage in the past?

Oh, yeah, totally. Constantly. I would find all kinds of auditions there.

How do you typically prepare for an audition?

For this one, I went online and got the sides. I had the number for the casting associate and I let her know, “I know I’m not going to get an audition slot, but I’m going to make a tape.” And I asked her what the deadline was. She said, “You’re definitely getting a slot! It’ll be Friday. If not, it’ll be Monday.” I got ready and I studied the sides I had and I still hadn’t heard anything. It was midnight on Thursday and I thought, There’s no chance it’s going to be Friday. At 8:30 in the morning, I got a text that was like, “Joy! You’ve got an audition today at noon! Sixteen pages—good luck.” I was memorized and ready when I had three hours’ notice.

That sounds so stressful.

In retrospect, part of me is glad it happened that way. If I’d known this big audition was happening and had a day and a half to get ready, I might’ve freaked myself out. Whereas in this situation, all I had to do was pick out my outfit.

What did you wear?

I dressed like they described Plum in the book. I wore a long black skirt and a big blousy top, and I put my hair in a bun and wore no makeup.

What is your worst audition story?

Definitely my weirdest audition was a music video for [DJ duo] Duck Sauce where everyone has a crotch face. So there’s another person’s head between your legs. It was nominated for a VMA. Have you played chicken when you were kids? Sitting on someone’s shoulders? We were like that [in the audition], except the other person is on their knees and we’re just dancing around to this music. Once I got the part, everyone on set was like, “Isn’t this the strangest thing you’ve ever done?” And everyone was like, “Yes, this is the strangest thing.”

What was your most memorable survival job?

I cleaned out hoarders’ houses for about a year. My boss had a company [that] did high-end stuff like color-coding rich people’s closets, and on the other end, we went to houses that had liens placed against them from the city as fire hazards and emptied them out of their hoards.



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