Now that he’s a high school senior, 17-year-old Nathan Kress has college dreams of attending UCLA. But unlike most other young Hollywood performers, the “iCarly” actor isn’t interested in the school’s exceptional Film/TV department.
“I want to go the opposite direction. Show biz is where my life is right now but I don’t want acting to be the only thing I know how to do,” Nathan says, taking a rare break from his busy sitcom shooting schedule on the Nickelodeon set. “I want to study something broader—business or communications—so I can go into different branches of business and work in multiple fields. But I definitely know I want to go to UCLA, though I don’t know how good my chance is of getting in. Honestly, I’d be happy anywhere I’m qualified to go and get a quality education.”
UCLA and dozens of back-up universities would be lucky to admit Nathan, a natural leader, role model and straight-A student. “I got a B in math once,” he says with a grimace, admitting to the only flaw in his school record. “Getting all A’s and one B felt like the end of the world.”
Nathan’s academic career got an early start when he began reading at the age of 2 1/2 . By the time he reached kindergarten he was already reading what became his favorite book series of all time: The Boxcar Children. “I couldn’t get enough of that series,” Nathan says, who still has the books at home in a cardboard boxcar-shaped collection. “Ever since then I’ve been hooked on reading.”
School Memories
Nathan’s first day at school, however, didn’t go so well. “I remember being completely flipped out and crazy-nervous— the day before kindergarten—that I wouldn’t be able to understand anything and would completely fail,” he laughs. “Fortunately I was wrong.”
Going to school for the first time is so important it’s something Nathan thinks most people will always remember. “And I’ll never forget my favorite teacher, Mrs. Slocum. She taught first grade and had a great reward system. Like, if we came back from chapel quietly, we’d get a Popsicle stick to put in a fish bowl. And when we filled up the bowl, the class got our choice of a pizza party or an ice cream sundae party or the best thing of all . . . Mrs. Slocum would take the whole class outside on the lawn to watch her do back-flips, somersaults and handsprings!”
Nathan’s fascination with gymnastic talent might stem from the fact that he’s not a natural athlete. Not at all. “I stink at sports,” he shrugs. “When I was younger I’d do T-ball and Little League and all that, but it didn’t take long for me to realize I definitely stunk. I like playing football and tennis and all that stuff, but it’s been a challenge for me.”
School Friends
Getting along well with kids, however, has never been challenging for Nathan. “Being at a private school meant that we really didn’t have problems with bullies very often,” he recalls. “But there was one kid who was really tall for his age, and people were intimidated by him. I’m not sure how it happened, but he became my bodyguard in first grade, simply because he wanted to. ‘You’re my only friend,’ he told me – which wasn’t entirely true – ‘so I want to protect you.’ That was nice, and it turned things around. It solved two problems: He stopped being the school bully and became a good friend.”
Nathan also has good friends to thank for not humiliating him after his most embarrassing moment. “In fifth grade I played the lead in the school play, ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes.’ I ended up playing the emperor, who of course has to come out on stage in his underwear. I wore red long johns with the button-flap in the back, and ran around doing the chicken dance, making a fool of myself.
“When I watch home videos of me doing that, being a big goober, it’s more than a little embarrassing. A friend of mine has it on tape and showed the rest of our friends! But honestly, I need to thank her. She’s proven she’s a real friend, because someone else would have posted it on YouTube by now.”
Nathan Is a People-Person
These days, Nathan is acting full-time while completing his high school studies. “This year I’m in geometry and chemistry—which is a big challenge.” His favorite classes are history, biology and, of course, literature. (Nathan’s currently reading To Kill A Mockingbird for American Literature, and The Grand Weaver by Ravi Zacharias for Bible class.) Home-schooled since sixth grade, Nathan clearly recognizes that the greatest lessons he’s learned have come after weekday school hours.
“I go to church every Sunday unless I have to work out of town,” he says. “I go to my youth group every Sunday morning then I go to service with my parents right after that. I think it’s important for the entire family to go to service and worship together. I’m definitely involved in my church and most of my friends have come from my church involvement.”
Nathan also went to church camp every summer and winter with his youth group. “I loved it. And those trips were so important to me. Sometimes when you get out of the normal setting of youth group and church, you open up more to what people have to teach you. Going to camp is a really, really great learning experience. It strengthens your faith and builds your friendships.
“That’s the most important thing for me personally. But the best thing my youth group does every year is work at Camp Barnabas—a camp in Purdy, Mo., for disabled kids. One week it’s for kids in wheelchairs. Another week it’s for kids who are blind. The kids in my youth group volunteer as counselors and helpers, called Barnstormers, who watch out for the campers 24 hours a day. That means everything from setting up for each meal to cleaning the bathrooms.”
Nathan’s Faith
Like his love for books and school, Nathan’s love for church also began early. He was only 4 when he became Christian. “It was around Easter, and I had just watched the Jesus movie,” he explains. “I couldn’t understand why Jesus was nailed to a cross—that didn’t compute with me.
“So I asked my mom, and she told me that it was for forgiveness of my sins, and that every sin I committed would be atoned for by Jesus on the Cross. That was the first time I really put it together. Suddenly I understood, and my concept of Him was strong.”
The revelation was especially powerful for young Nathan because at the time he had gotten into a little too much mischief with a young neighbor. “I don’t even remember exactly what we did—you can’t get into too much big trouble when you’re 4—but it was something that required punishment, so I knew I’d sinned and now knew I how to atone for it. Whenever I watch the Jesus movie again, it always has significant meaning to me.”
Christianity is the center of Nathan’s life. “My faith affects everything I do. It’s who I am. I’m Nathan Kress, a Christian who happens to be an actor—it’s not the other way around. First and foremost that’s the most important thing in my life. My faith influences everything.”
For instance, Nathan judges acting projects carefully, down to reviewing scripts for content issues he’s not comfortable with. “I’ve been to auditions where the script has foul language and sexual content that I just don’t want to be a part of. There have been business propositions that could have been very lucrative for me— like a really huge movie directed by a famous guy—but my character would have been doing some really bad stuff.
“I had to suck it up and say ‘It’s not worth compromising my beliefs to be involved in something that affect who I am.’ There are a lot of people who aren’t Christians who also have that standard of what they will and will not do because it’s not appropriate. My perspective comes from the Bible.”
Words of wisdom from his mother are also key. “One of the things that definitely helps my decision-making is something my mom told me: ‘The right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing.’ It definitely helps put my priorities into place, even when I think I’m doing the right thing.”
Bottom Line
The most important thing Nathan would like people to know about him is simple enough. “Aside from my weak sports skills, I’m a normal teenager like everyone else,” he insists. “I just happen to work on a TV show. That’s why I’ve always hated when people use the words ‘star’ or ‘celebrity’ to describe me. It gives people the false impression that kid actors in Hollywood are somehow better than other kids our age, and it’s just not the truth.
“I’m no more special than anyone else. We all have talents— God-given talents—that each of us use for different things. Billions of kids could be better at sports than me! I realize that wouldn’t be too hard at all since I’m so bad at sports,” he laughs, “but my point is that everyone uses their talents in their own way, just as God means it to be.
“When ‘iCarly’ came along, it changed my life,” Nathan reflects. “I’ve grown since then—physically, obviously, you can see that on camera—but spiritually and emotionally, too. This entire process has been a big faith exercise. I’ve learned more and more each day that I just have to trust God in everything I do.”
Learn more about Nathan—what scares him, what stresses him out, and much more at: SUSIEMag.com. Look for the story “iNathan.”
Vicki Arkoff is an authorized biographer for Kelly Clarkson, Hilary Duff, Jesse McCartney, Paul McCartney, Carrie Underwood and several Nickelodeon and Disney stars.