Turned Gentleman: The Kings of Napa’s Rance Nix

A Turned Gentleman is someone who sets the standard and the bar high. He is someone who perseveres through life’s journeys and continues to show themselves worthy of all the success they have and will achieve. This is exactly why Rance Nix is our next Turned Gentleman. Rance plays the eldest son of the King family on OWN’s hit TV show The Kings of Napa. He is the confident CFO and has a lot to offer the family and the business.

Landing his first big role meant everything for Rance. “First and foremost, it was God’s plan that granted me this opportunity,” he shares. The Kings of Napa focuses on a picturesque Napa Valley vineyard owned by the Kings, an aspirational Black family. Even though Rance really isn’t a wine consumer, he bodied the role thanks to heavy classes and training about the wine industry. “I don't drink. But I've had wine, like with dinner before. And typically, I like the bold, savory, deep, deep wine with my meal, with a steak, or with a hearty, forward flavor profile. Wine is meant to be enjoyed and savored,” he shares.

With the writer of the show, Janine Sherman Barrois, paying attention to Rance’s previous work from the 2017 short film Trapeze, U.S.A., it urged her to re-write the entire role to fit and center around Rance. Talk about favor! Not only is Rance a rising star from this show, but he’s also heavily into the fashion industry. “Look good, feel good, perform good,” is a mantra that Rance lives by each day, and he also aspires to take part in major campaigns surrounding the fashion industry. It makes him who he is, and it gives him the confidence to portray his role dynamically. “You only get one chance to make a first impression. With this being my first big role, I took that advice, and I gave it everything I had in me. I gave it my 120 percent,” Rance shares.

Rance and his character Dana King have so much in common. He shares how he relates to this character in the form of having achondroplasia, which is the most common form of dwarfism. Despite the struggles, due to people's perceptions based on his height, Rance knew that this was something that he could bring to the table. He brought the power of Dana King to life and his struggles. Rance shares, “I know what it's like to work so hard, to dress well, and bring a spirit of excellence into everything that I do. I know how to have a great personality and be everything and more, yet still not be respected in the eyes of others. I have my faith, and I have a good group of friends and family around me that can speak life into my life. So, I'm dealing with it in a healthy way when it comes up,” he explains. Getting lost in the sauce is the recipe behind the confidence and the drive that Rance holds in him.

Being a man of God, and coming from an encouraging family, Rance knows that his desires will be fulfilled. One thing you can note about Rance is his confidence and his magical spirit. He gets that from his parents who have been his rock since day one. He shows gratefulness and gratitude because, in his words, “acting is a difficult journey to articulate when you’re pursuing acting because you don’t really see a lot of fruit.” Rance’s co-star, Ashlee Brian, would tell him, “90% acting is auditioning, networking, updating your resume, updating your reels, doing actors access, casting networks on all the things to just maintain, and then it's 10% actually booking a gig that you act in.” That’s why Rance is so grateful for landing this role. “To be able to have something tangible to show my parents, it’s been super special and they’re so excited for me,” he shares.

For a while now, Rance has been a man of many hats. From acting to real estate, Rance believes that if you work in a spirit of excellence and faith, nothing is unstoppable. No matter where you are in life, no matter who you are, it can be done. Not driven on achieving the celebrity status of the industry, Rance is one of those talents that you see true realness from. From creating his films, hosting late-night TV and, of course, aiming to become an award-winning actor, he shows no signs of slowing down to reach his goals. For him, it’s only the beginning of the sacrifice it will take for him to believe, receive and achieve who he is meant to be.

Photographer: J. Monroe

Creative Director: Dane Young

Stylist: Chardonnay Taylor

Fashion Assistants: Justin Wiley and Courtney Blackwell

Makeup Artist: Sekcenia Rosario