Of course we have come to know her as Hilary on Fresh Prince of Bel Air, but now we will not forget her as Nia in "Mixing Nia''.

Not only has Karyn Parsons left a lasting impression on film buffs in Bermuda, she has secured a friendship with local director Alison Swan after starring in Swan's first feature film.

"We hit it off immediately,'' Ms Parsons told The Royal Gazette this week.

"I read the script, we sat down and talked for a long time. Finally we left the office and we went and hung out.'' Parsons -- a Santa Monica, California native -- added that she connected immediately to Nia.

The film takes us through the life of Nia, a mixed race woman seeking to balance her two ethnic backgrounds and her own individuality.

Torn between Lewis, an Afrocentrist who demands loyalty to her blackness, and Matt, an advertising executive who is oblivious to her conflicts, Nia must find herself in order to survive.

"I felt an affinity to Nia,'' she said, "being bi-racial, I come across the same questions and difficulties. As you get older it becomes more complex.'' Describing the debate in the United States and Bermuda about bi-racial identity, Ms Parsons said often the problem can only be solved by self-reflection.

"Sometimes you think of yourself standing on firm ground, but then you find yourself questioning yourself about identity,'' she added. "She (Nia) was doing a lot of questioning as I was going through a lot of the same stuff as a woman and as a mixed woman.'' Ms Parsons has just finished an "off, off, off Broadway'' play called "The Kiss at City Hall'' by Joe de Pietro.

She has no immediate bookings to work but has done her share before landing the Fresh Prince job.

"Before Fresh Prince, I'd done television episodes, lots of commercials, and even a horror film,'' she added. "I'd done small roles. But that was my first big, long-term job.'' In 1989 -- the year before being signed to do the Fresh Prince pilot -- she did not work at all. It is during such off times she has taken acting workshops to hone her craft.

It was she who gave an important piece of acting advice to the novice Will Smith that has certainly helped him in his rise to the top.

"I'm the one that pulled him aside and told him to stop mouthing the other persons lines,'' she said. "It's really noticeable on the first five shows.

But he wanted to grow as an actor and was the first to admit that he did not know anything (about acting).'' The show, which had a six-year run, has given her the resources and exposure to choose her roles carefully and has also made her a recognised celebrity.

"I'm not crazy about having lost my anonymity,'' Ms Parsons admitted, "but people have been so supportive and very nice. I don't look like the character and thankfully they don't see me as the girl from Fresh Prince.'' Alison -- daughter of former Premier Sir John Swan -- described the process of making a film as akin to building a house.

"You need a blueprint, and a good foundation,'' Ms Swan said. "You can't make a good movie from a bad screenplay. If you have a good script, then the director and producer have the opportunity to make a good movie.'' Ms Swan added that she was not opposed to using others' screenplays, but she said she would need more money to buy the scripts.

She had come up with Nia, among many characters, and began a long development period to have a working script.

"There was no light-bulb in coming up with her,'' she said. "Nia just kept coming back up after I had been thinking about characters for a while. I drew up the characters and then I did long bios.'' The next steps in the process included doing lengthy outlines and then a first draft of the screenplay.

"I intend to do another feature'' Alison added, "It often takes two years to pull it all together. I may do some TV work in the near future.'' For a review of Mixing Nia see Page 21.

DIRECTOR AND STAR -- Alison Swan (left) and Karyn Parsons discuss Ms Swan's movie "Mixing Nia''.