Solano County native Sicily Cameron on the big screen – The Vacaville Reporter

Sicily Cameron greets the audience at the local premiere of “Run Nixon”, a film starring Cameron in his breakout role. (Courtesy photo, Sicily Cameron)

Rewarding, cathartic, stressful. These were just some of the emotions actress Sicily Cameron felt as she watched audiences respond to her film, “Run Nixon,” for the first time.

“It’s been a long time coming,” said the Solano County native, reflecting on the journey to her breakout on-screen role.

Sunday night’s local premiere at Suisun’s Marina Lounge, hosted by Kim Pruitt of KP Entertainment Connections, was the culmination of a seven-year film project that Cameron first joined in 2018.

The film’s journey to the screen almost proved as intense as the plot. Cast as one of the main characters, Cameron plays a desperate mother named Stacy who resorts to robbing a strip club to pay for her son’s (Nixon) heart surgery. A few years later, the gangster whose money she stole kidnaps Nixon as a ploy to get back what was stolen.

The film, now available in AMC theaters and on all streaming platforms, received widespread praise during the film’s screening. “A lot of people came up and said, ‘Congratulations, you did a great job,’” Cameron said. “I’m actually really happy with the reaction we got.”

But there were times during production when Cameron couldn’t even visualize that kind of response. When the pandemic halted filming indefinitely, the cast went on hiatus and didn’t regroup until late 2020. At that point, director SkyDirects decided to scrap all previous filming and start from scratch.

The gap threatened the film’s continuity “because obviously over time people change and looks can change,” Cameron said. Heading into 2021, the cast has been shuttling between their home base in Las Vegas and filming locations in Los Angeles. Still, the setbacks have only strengthened the cast’s commitment to the project.

“We were all willing to go through the mud to make this movie happen,” Cameron said. Returning to work post-pandemic was far from glamorous. Cameron remembers being low on dollars and relating to her character’s monetary problems.

Even with other cast members like Jordan Lee Brown and Lil’ Fizz who were more experienced, Cameron said, “a lot of us were banking on this opportunity to show our faces, get our talent out there.”

Getting exposure has always been a goal for Cameron, but it didn’t start with acting. The actress started out as a budding singer and businesswoman. She recalled the early days of her career when she was building her beauty business that she still operates.

“I was making music and I went to the director because I needed visual guidance,” said Cameron, who knew Sky had worked with Megan Good and others in the industry. A chance encounter in Las Vegas would end up being the beginning of their working relationship.

“A month later, he came to me and said, ‘Hey, you look like the character Stacy in this movie I’m writing, and I’d love for you to come and audition,’” Cameron said.

This is exactly what Cameron knew he wanted to do, but “never knew the steps, like where to go.”

She recalls how “at the time I had no agent, no manager, no rep and no mentor telling me this is what I had to do to live this dream.”

With no industry connections, Cameron relied on his own determination to make it all work. “Whenever they wanted me on set, I drove to Los Angeles.”

No longer splitting her time between two cities, Cameron is focusing on balancing mother and actor. Her newest role as mom to her ten-month-old son has brought her focus to more local opportunities.

“I really want to get back into acting,” Cameron said. “I’m trying to do everything.”

Networking within the community is the main reason for starting the film screening event. Pruitt was first introduced to Cameron as a whip client when the two started talking. Although this type of event was a first for Pruitt, his connections with the Marina Lounge helped bring the idea for the film’s premiere to fruition.

Pruitt saw an opportunity to approach the event in a way that celebrated the film’s diversity. “We were trying to highlight that this was a black director and actress,” Pruitt said, adding that her goal for the formal gala was a success.

“I’m happy with the turnout,” Pruitt said. “The people who showed up are already die-hard Sicily Cameron fans.”