My name is Nick P Ross. The P stands for Philip. In college, I tried going by Philip rather than Nick for a short while in an effort to sound more… let’s see… erudite? I had just transfered schools and figured it might be fun to reinvent myself. Like most of the endeavors I take on, I realized quickly that I was in over my head. The thought of changing my name seemed light and fun, but the act of it proved torturous. People knew me by the quick and percussive “Nick”. I knew myself as Nick. When asked my name, I could see the doubt in people’s eyes when I said, “Philip.” I must have left quite the impression on those first few who replied, “Philip. I’m such and such. Nice to meet–”. “I’m Nick. Not Philip. Sorry. I’m new here. I’m just trying on my middle name for status.” ”Oh. So you want to go by–”. ”Nick. I’m no hero.”
This wasn’t the first time I attempted to go by another name. I’m an actor and a writer currently living in Los Angeles. My birthday is October 23rd, the same as Johnny Carson and Pelé. Pelé’s real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento. Bravo, man.
