When the crime thriller “Long Time Listener” premieres on April 2 on AMC’s ALLBLK Network, it will mark the feature-film directorial debut of Danielle Nicolet, an established actress whose credits include a long-running role on the TV series “The Flash” and a starring role in the film “The Life of Me,” due out this summer.
With “The Flash” an established series (2015–23), Nicolet was not consumed with auditioning and looking for acting jobs, so she expanded her artistic vision to include writing and directing.
The “Long Time Listener” directorial position came about after Nicolet met with production company GreenApple Entertainment regarding another film that she and writing partner Kayla Compton had written. A few days later, GreenApple executive Roxanne Warren reached out for an unexpected conversation. GreenApple had entered into an agreement with AMC ALLBLK to provide four films.
Given that GreenApple is a company that creates and distributes films for African American audiences, particularly Black female audiences, and AMC ALLBLK creates content for a similar audience, Warren wanted to take that opportunity to elevate Black female directors. Familiar with Nicolet’s work as an actress and writer, Warren asked if she was interested in directing a film. Despite the challenges, such as budget and time limitations, Nicolet was all in.
“Little did Roxanne know, I had been training for quite some time to direct,” said Nicolet, whose acting credits also include iconic TV shows like “Family Matters” and “Key & Peele.” “I was shadowing on ‘The Flash’ for multiple episodes. I’ve done directing programs. I directed two short films. It was exactly the opportunity that I was looking for…and I was maybe the director that they were looking for, and they didn’t realize it when they came up with the plan.
“I’m aware of what a terrific opportunity this is,” she added. “Almost nobody gets to direct their first feature and know for certain that it’s going to be released and people are going to see it.”
Nicolet also brought to this project her experience shadowing the director of her upcoming film, “The Life of Me,” as well as watching friend Meagan Good direct the short film “Black Karen,” which Nicolet wrote. That film was produced by Kevin Hart’s studio. The Sundance Institute got behind it and put Nicolet through a fellowship program, and the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. It can now be seen on Prime Video and is being developed into a full-length feature.
“‘Long Time Listener’ was certainly my preparation meeting an opportunity,” Nicolet said. “I’m super grateful for the mentors that I have that are continuing to encourage me. Anybody who wants to do this, find a mentor, find several.”
“Long Time Listener” is about a true crime podcaster who becomes the target of a mysterious long-time listener. She’s pulled into a web of secrets that grow increasingly dark and is faced with the terrifying question: who is really in control of the story? Nicolet does not star in the film, but she does have a role, which meant at times she had to simultaneously act and direct.
“Going into ‘Long Time Listener’ I knew that the best way for me to succeed as a director who’s in the film was going to be for me to reach out to friends and people who are very successful in the business that I can trust implicitly to be in the film,” she said. “Those people being [former co-stars] Meagan Holder and Lyriq Bent [who are the leads].”
When she was in a scene and Bent was not, she would ask him to stand at the monitor and make sure she was achieving what she envisioned for the scene. He gave her adjustments. “I could trust him implicitly to do that,” Nicolet said. “He’s a producer and writer himself. The same goes for Meagan. I hardly have moments on screen without Meagan, but I can trust Meagan implicitly to be at the monitor. That level of support is the thing that made it easy for me to act in the movie as well.”
Nicolet is all about community, whether it’s working with longtime collaborators or feeling comfortable reaching out to people in the entertainment industry to ask for help or having people reach out to her with questions. Her friends are multi-hyphenates — actors, writers, producers, and directors — and they elevate each other.
“For me, friendship is a verb,” Nicolet explained. “If I’m your friend, I’m not just going to say it. I’m going to show up for you, I’m going to do whatever you need. … We rally the troops, we come together, and we say, ‘How can I support you?’ I think it’s the only way women get ahead, especially in this business.”
Nicolet said, when you make quality films for people of color, they eat them up like delicious food and want more. She is very much still an actress while she works to serve up more deliciousness as a writer and director.
“I have a feature that I just finished [writing] called ‘The Bishop of Harlem,’” she said. “I’m very hopeful that when ‘Long Time Listener’ is seen, it will open more doors for me as a director. I certainly hope to do another film for GreenApple and AMC ALLBLK and continue this journey.”