Nicole Eggert (“Baywatch”) is thriving and surviving. She discussed starring in the Hulu documentary series “After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun.”
Eleanor Roosevelt once said: “With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.” This quote applies to Nicole Eggert.
Eggert is known for playing her iconic role of Summer Quinn in the hit ’90s TV show “Baywatch,” and now, she is also serving as a producer of the documentary “After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun.”
On being a part of “After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun,” she exclaimed, “It was great.” “It was a long process. When we first thought of the idea to when we finally sold it, and people were able to see it, it was just about five years.”
“Taking on the role of producer was great, and a fun learning experience,” she said. “I was shopping an idea for a show, and all the networks were turning it into a reality show. We explored that and I didn’t find it very interesting. It wasn’t the right project.”
“Then, Matthew Felker and I discussed doing this project as a documentary,” she said. “We really had the same visions and the same thoughts, and we wanted to get the same message across. I trusted Matthew to do it, and to go forward with it.”
“I really wanted ‘After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun’ to be special, different, and to stand apart,” she acknowledged. “I knew that Matthew saw that too, and he had the same ideas as me, and we decided to go ahead.”
“Working with Matthew was great. He was learning as he was going along,” she said. “I was really proud of Matthew; he was the only one we trusted, and he knew what we wanted it to look like. So, we knew that it had to be directed by Matthew. It was a big gamble because he had never directed anything before, but I think he did a fantastic job! I am so proud of Matthew.”
Eggert on playing Summer Quinn
On playing the character Summer Quinn in “Baywatch,” Eggert said, “I liked how Summer was really and she had never seen the ocean before yet she wanted to be a lifeguard, which is a big undertaking.”
“I felt like she had a lot of bravery, and she was willing and honest to work through her problems. I feel like Summer was always a fighter; she always kept fighting and kept going.”
Career-defining moment in her life: ‘Baywatch’
Eggert described “Baywatch” as a career-defining moment in her personal life.
“When I started working on ‘Baywatch,’ I just wasn’t comfortable, and I left the show after two seasons,” she said.
“I really had to do a lot of soul-searching and finding myself. It was a defining moment in my life where I decided to put on the breaks, stop working a little bit and get to know myself better. So, I think that was a big part of my personal life.”
Nicole Eggert on Alexandra Paul, Jeremy Jackson and David Chokachi
“I keep in touch with Alexandra Paul a lot,” Eggert said. “Alexandra trusted me, and so did Jeremy Jackson and David Chokachi. They trusted that my idea was different, and it was going to be a different project and a positive thing. Luckily, most people were ready to jump on board.”
Stage of her life
On the title of the current chapter of her life, Eggert said, “Thriving and Surviving.” “I am just fighting, trying to laugh through it, and get through it, and appreciate everything,” she said.
Eggert revealed that she just had surgery one week ago, and “it’s a big recovery.” “Then, I will go back into treatment and I will have surgery again,” she said. “It’s a long but a promising road.”
Lessons learned from this documentary series
On the lessons learned from this documentary, Eggert remarked, “It reiterated the fact that when you want something you can get it, and if you want it done right, you have to do it yourself. It took those points home for me. Perseverance takes a lot of courage ,and it takes stamina.”
“I learned that I love the process and the journey of the idea turning into a project, and then being a final product. The creative process itself is my favorite part of the industry,” she admitted.
Eggert on the younger actors in the documentary
Eggert complimented all the younger actors, which included Nikolay Koltsov, Justin Baraglia, and Colin Seifert, who came in and did the reenactments. “They all did a great job; they really did wonderful,” she exclaimed. “Nikolay could really pass off as the younger version of David Chokachi.”
The digital age
On being a part of the digital age, Eggert said, “I love it because I am a fan of it. I stream all the time.”
“As an actor, it was a little bit weird, and I definitely supported the SAG-AFTRA strike and getting rights for actors as far as pay and usage. I think we are finally in a good place where everybody can understand now,” she explained.
“I think AI is the next problem, but I love everything about the digital age,” she added.
Superpower of choice
If she were to have any superpower, it would be “invisibility or teleportation.” “How fun would those be? Also, if I could travel in time that would be the best,” she said.
Success
Regarding her definition of the word success, Eggert said, “Success means feeling accomplished and proud of yourself. Success means going after your happiness, and living your life to the fullest. It’s the self-love that comes from all of that.”
Message for her fans
For her fans, Eggert said, “It takes a village. I appreciate all of the support that I’ve gotten lately from my fans. There are no words to describe how powerful that support is; it really keeps me going, especially when I am down, I can read their posts, and my spirits are lifted right back up again. Their words mean a lot to me.”
Closing thoughts on ‘After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun’
For viewers and fans, she remarked about the series, “I want the fans to get to know the actors behind ‘Baywatch,’ and get to know them as people, and how interesting and how funny they are. Everyone has such a good story. I want the fans to see all the actors for who they are.”
To learn more about Nicole Eggert, follow her on Instagram.
