Nicholas James (actor)

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 with a recurring role, since 2016, as Officer Justin Lewis in the television series The Haves and the Have Nots. He also has appeared 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 life and education
James was born in Greenville, Pennsylvania, the son of Gregory and Vicki Muscarella. He has an older brother, Michael. He attended Reynolds Junior – Senior High School, and later Penn State Behrend College, where he studied management and marketing.

Career
After attending Penn State Behrend College, James relocated to Hollywood, where he arrived with just $200 and worked providing bottle service at a bar while pursuing acting.

James was initially interested in comedic roles, especially 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.

Personal life
James currently resides in Los Angeles. He is vocal on political issues via Twitter, and maintains an Instagram account. His interests include the extreme sports skydiving and surfing as well as standup paddleboarding, snorkelling, hiking, animals and exotic teas.

Since at least 2016, James has been in a relationship with his Haves and the Have Nots co-star Tika Sumpter. Their daughter, Ella-Loren, was born October 8, 2016. Despite numerous press outlets stating that James was the father, Sumpter did not confirm his paternity, then she revealed only his first name when announcing that they became engaged on Christmas Day in 2016.

Filmography
note: credited as Nicholas James, except where indicated