SANDY SIDHU is starring as Nazneen Khan in the new and highly anticipated original medical drama series Nurses on NBC.
Nurses follows five young nurses working on the frontlines of a busy downtown Toronto hospital, dedicating their lives to helping others, while struggling to help themselves. Sandy’s character Nazneen left India to start a new life and her first job (ever) is a nurse in Canada. She comes from a very wealthy family. Throughout the course of the show, you discover Naz is in a free fall of rediscovering who she is outside of the familiar patterns of home.
AC: What can audiences expect from Nurses?
SANDY SIDHU – Nurses is a coming of age series following 5 rookie nurses, fresh out of school, working the front lines of a busy downtown Toronto hospital, dedicating their lives to helping others, while also struggling really to help themselves. I’d describe the show as a rollercoaster of emotions. And yet it’s fun, sexy and playful and this show has a lot of heart.
AC: How does your character fit into the story?
SANDY SIDHU – Nazneen is the brain. When the audience meets Naz, you discover she is whip-smart and comes from a very wealthy family in India. She’s never worked a day in her life until she left India and started her first job ever at St. Mary’s hospital as a nurse. The big question is why? Why did she immigrate to Toronto? Why is she now nursing? Of all professions? This slowly unravels as the season progresses. In the meantime, Naz struggles with basic responsibilities in life. She’s never had to learn how to look after herself, or anyone else, until now.
AC: What do you think is your character’s ultimate goal?
SANDY SIDHU – I think Season 1 for Naz is ultimately a redemption story. She’s leaving a past that’s haunting her and exploring who she is, quite desperately, in a new environment. Audiences will later understand what drove Nazneen to make such an extreme life change.
AC: Can you recall any funny moments from on-set filming?
SANDY SIDHU – Tiera and Natasha took an Oh Henry bar, unwrapped it, and placed it inside a set toilet that was going to be used for a scene. Because it’s a set toilet, it doesn’t flush as it’s fake. When everyone showed up for blocking, the director and everyone close by gasped because they thought someone took a sh*t in the set toilet. It was hilarious.
AC: How does this medical drama differ from those we’ve seen before?
SANDY SIDHU – Medical dramas are classically shared from the point of view of a doctor, and our story gets to share it from the lens of nurses. A mostly overlooked hospital story. We filmed season one before the pandemic. We used to say we were sharing the story of our unsung heroes. But now, with the pandemic, they’re not unsung anymore. I think this show will really resonate with audiences as we all are celebrating our frontline workers.
AC: As an actor, what are you still trying to learn?
SANDY SIDHU – I’m still trying to learn to be more unapologetic.
AC: How can you tell when you’re reading a great script?
SANDY SIDHU – I think a great script is a great story. It’s saying something about life. The cherry on top is if it can teach us or change us, as an audience. When I’m reading something I consider a great script, I can’t put it down until I finish.
AC: When did you begin to see acting as a potential career avenue?
SANDY SIDHU – Until this job. Honestly, I never knew if it was gonna work out. I never saw examples of myself on TV growing up. So when I decided to become an actor, I always felt a little crazy pursuing it. I just love acting so much and nothing else made me feel that way. I’m really glad I didn’t quit.
AC: What do you want the world to look like in 10 years?
SANDY SIDHU – Different from today. We can’t continue living the way we are. I don’t have the answers on how to solve the problems. We’ve lived in excess for so long and there are consequences. So many animals have gone extinct, our oceans are filled with plastic, and we’re depleting our natural resources at an alarming rate. I just know it has to look different from how we’re currently running things because this isn’t working anymore. My hope is that it will look more green and more blue.
AC: How important is social media to you right now?
SANDY SIDHU – I deleted Facebook and Twitter last year and just kept my Instagram. One platform is better for my life right now. I think social media has the potential to be a really wonderful tool that helps me connect to a world outside of my own in a really simple way. I know it’s become an essential part of our lives, but I also wouldn’t care if we all stopped using it tomorrow. I’m happy either way.
AC: Everyone seems to have an app idea at the moment, what’s yours?
SANDY SIDHU – I feel like I need less apps, and more walks outside. So my idea would be something that gives you walking alerts- Like an alert that’ll say ‘Hey, it’s close to sunset. Stop what you’re doing, walk outside, and take in those sexy sky colours’. I’ll call it “Get Your Walk On.”
AC: Do you have a personal fear you’d like to conquer?
SANDY SIDHU – I’d like to conquer my fear of failure. I feel like actors are always grappling with this as the profession itself is so unpredictable.
AC: Aside from your upcoming projects, what are you excited about for the future?
SANDY SIDHU – I’m excited about building a life that is more authentic to my true nature more and more each and every day.
INTERVIEW: ADAM CROOKES
