Nicholas James

Nicholas James Muscarella (born December 1, 1982), known professionally as Nicholas James and additionally variously credited as Nick James or Nicholas J. Muscarella, is an American actor. James is known for his recurring role, since 2016, as Officer Justin Lewis in the television series The Haves and the Have Nots, as well as for appearances in Prom Night (2008) and NCIS: New Orleans (2014). His earliest credited film appearance was in Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds in 2006. James has appeared in television commercials for Grupo Modelo (in 2016) and Walmart (in 2014). Outside of acting, James has also worked as a model. Early career Nicholas James's initial interest in performing was directed at comedic rather than dramatic roles, particularly sketch comedy in the style of Saturday Night Live. In Los Angeles, he studied acting under the tutelage of various renowned figures, including legendary acting coach Vincent Chase (for whom the eponymous fictional character on the TV series Entourage was named). Actor Shia LaBeouf was among his classmates. Later, he attended classes at Upright Citizen's Brigade, thus returning to his earlier interest in improvisational and sketch comedy. James dropped his surname to form his stage name because, in his own words, “I don't look too Italian and people trip over that name all the time.” His original surname Muscarella has however appeared as part of one of three variations of his name in film and television credits.