It’s impossible to grasp what it must’ve been like to be Nikki Reed in her emerging years as an actor. At only 14 years old, she was catapulted into fame after co-writing and starring in the highly controversial and critically lauded indie film “Thirteen,” all while living on her own, taking care of herself, and trying to juggle high school with relentless media attention. Reed had expressed interest in acting at a young age and so “Thirteen” director Catherine Hardwicke, with whom she wrote the script, gave her the opportunity to give it a try.
“My connection with acting and my love for it developed from my relationship with Catherine and her wisdom and insight,” Reed says. “She kept me out of trouble by putting me in acting classes. But I was not expecting to be in the film. I was only a writer. I was helping with auditions with girls and reading with them. Then the producers called and said, ‘You have to take this part. There’s nobody fit for this role but you.’ ”
It took Reed about a week to think it over out of intimidation and unpreparedness, but she eventually took the role and her life would change forever. And despite feelings of isolation and pressure amidst the film’s reception, Reed knew that she had found a true love in acting.“After we finished,” she says, “I went back to high school and decided that I wanted to be a kid for a while, whatever that means, but once again I found myself back with acting, so clearly I couldn’t escape the passion. There was just always something very freeing about having the ability to really express yourself and find some sort of connection, heal yourself, work through your own life with acting.”
And this passion has led to a fulfilling career, consisting of roles in films like “Lords of Dogtown,” the “Twilight” franchise, and shows including “The O.C.” With recent music video and documentary directing credits under her belt and a consistent goal to bring more dimensionality to female characters, Reed proves to be a force to be reckoned with in the industry. Her new film “Murder of a Cat,” a quirky whodunnit indie, gives her the opportunity to challenge herself in a more comedic role than she’s used to playing.
From Los Angeles, Reed talks about the importance of fear, roles for women, and writing.
On her role in “Murder of a Cat.”
“Murder of a Cat” centers on, well, the murder of a cat, but a very peculiar one that leads to the unravelling of a bigger and darker mystery in a small suburban town. Reed stars as Greta, alongside Fran Kranz (“You Can’t Take It With You”), the endearing man-child who loses his cat. Greta is tough as nails and has her own agenda, never once merely being “the girl,” a factor very important to Reed.
“I was so focused on the idea that she wouldn’t just be an accessory,” she says. “She would have her own personality, her own desires, and I wanted her to be a dynamic character. Firstly, I had to figure out who she was to me and how to make her part of my world.”
The role also presented something new for Reed, who admits she generally gravitates toward darker roles, but in the last few years that hasn’t been the case. “I’ve actually been very excited at the idea of playing anything that’s a departure from anything I’ve done before,” she says. “When I’m challenged, I grow. I never want to be in a situation where I’m not challenged and not afraid. One of my favorite feelings is stepping into a film and knowing that I’m a little bit afraid of what I have to accomplish.”
On her acting goals.
“I think it’s really important for us to not only play, but create roles for women that gives them more to do than just be something one-dimensional and one-note,” says Reed. “More than the girlfriend, the mother, the sister, the bitch, you know? Really multi-faceted women. My goal is to play characters that I feel I can contribute to and also ones I can contribute back to my life.”
On her advice for young actors.
Having experienced fame and exposure at such a young age, Reed is fully aware at how jarring the industry can be—especially for those who are on the rise and trying to find their place. She also had the disadvantage of not having much of a support team.
“I didn’t have the safety net that a lot of young actresses have,” says Reed. “A lot of young girls have their families around to support them and help choose wisely. If I had the opportunity to do it all over again, I would’ve just stayed in school and travelled more and made my personal life more of a priority rather than working, working, working all the time. Because you can only play characters if you can relate to them, and if I’m not a full well-rounded woman who hasn’t seen the world or experienced things, then I won’t be able to embody those characters anyway. I would’ve liked to make more time for myself.”
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