Nicole Pacent

Nicole Pacent’s Path from Web Series Breakout to Network Television

A Greenwich, Connecticut upbringing and training at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts set the foundation for a career that took off online before reaching cable and streaming. Active in front of the camera since 2008, she has balanced acting with writing, hosting, and outspoken LGBTQ advocacy. Her work runs from scrappy independent web production to recurring roles on major network procedurals, and her audience has followed her across both formats. That range, grounded in long-form character work rather than one-off guest spots, is what separates her resume from many performers who came up in the digital-first era.

Anyone But Me and the Role of Aster Gaston

The breakout came with Aster Gaston, the lead she carried across 36 episodes of the award-nominated web series Anyone But Me between 2008 and 2015. The show built a devoted following for its honest portrayal of young queer life, and Aster sat at the center of it. The performance earned recognition during the 2011 Indie Series Awards cycle and turned a small online project into a calling card. For a large part of her fanbase, this remains the role they associate with her name first.

Criminal Minds: Evolution and Rebecca Wilson

Years after the web series wrapped, she stepped into Rebecca Wilson, a Department of Justice attorney, on Criminal Minds: Evolution beginning with the episode “Sicarius.” The recurring part spanned roughly a dozen episodes from 2022 through 2024 and gave her storyline genuine stakes within the revived franchise, including a relationship arc that fans tracked closely heading into later seasons. The role marked a clear shift toward established network drama and put her in front of a far wider audience than her early projects reached.

Voice Work and Independent Cinema

Her one confirmed voice credit comes from the animated series Swift and Loose, where she voiced Bambi Stirling in the 2017 installment “A Deer in Headlights.” Outside that, the body of work stays live-action: Lana Decker on Murder in the First, Melora in Space Guys in Space, Stephanie in I Hate Tommy Finch, and lead parts in independent features such as Cabin Fear and Penumbra. Guest appearances on Westworld, Black-ish, Good Trouble, Stumptown, CSI: Vegas, and Call Me Kat round out a filmography that favors steady character work over flashy cameos.