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Nicole Houston "Nikki" Reed (born May 17, 1988) is an American film actress and screenwriter. She became known in 2003, after the release of the film Thirteen, and has since appeared in several films, including Lords of Dogtown and Mini's First Time. Debuting as an adorable ingénue with a razor-sharp edge, actress Nikki Reed first made a major impact as the co-writer and co-star of the brutally honest teen angst film "Thirteen" (2003). The daughter of architect-turned-art director Seth Reed ("Minority Report," "Auto Focus"), the young actress' parents split at an early age, with Reed staying primarily with her mother. As she entered the sixth grade, Reed suddenly became very rebellious and emotionally volatile, and her relationship with her mother became strained as she began experimenting with sex, drugs and petty crime. Catherine Hardwicke, an art director looking to become a writer and director, had dated Reed's father for several years and remained very close to the actress after they split. Hardwicke tried to find positive creative outlets for her troubled surrogate daughter during the turbulent period, and in early 2002 she began collaborating on a screenplay with Reed, then 13. Reed was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Cheryl Houston, a hairdresser, and Seth Reed, a set designer. She has an older brother, Nathan. Reed's father is Jewish and her mother is of Cherokee and Italian descent; Reed was raised without religion though grew up around Judaism (her brother had a Bar Mitzvah). Reed has described her home life as "complicated". She attended Palms Middle School. Her parents divorced when she was two, and she grew up with her mother. At the age of fourteen, Reed moved out and began living on her own. She has since noted that during this time, she "grew up very fast," was "mature and responsible", as well as a "shy kid" and a "bookworm", who experimented thoroughly with drugs, alcohol, and sex. She had no specific desire to become an actress. Reed and director Catherine Hardwicke finished the script for the semi-biographical film, Thirteen, in six days, a relatively fast time for a Hollywood script to be written. Producers asked Reed to play a role in the film because they had trouble casting it, considering it an "uncomfortable" role for most young actresses. The film, starring Evan Rachel Wood, was released in 2003 to glowing reviews, giving Reed recognition in Hollywood as both an actress and a screenwriter. Following the film's release, Reed also appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and hosted a number of award shows, including the Young Hollywood Awards (2003), and the Independent Spirits Awards Nomination Show, followed by the West Independent Spirits Awards, both in 2004. At first creating a typical teen comedy, "Thirteen" gradually became more realistic and harrowing, drawing on many of the girl's real life experiences as a rebellious teen girl. Not only did the writing process help Reed deal with her anger and acting out, she and Hardwicke were actually able to sell it. Although the actress' lack of Hollywood acting credits prevented her from playing the lead role of Tracy ultimately played by Evan Rachel Wood Reed was cast as Tracy's popular but dark and troubled best friend, Evie, who leads Tracy down a destructive path. The film was embraced by critics and provided a powerful springboard for Reed's future path in Hollywood. Reed worked with Hardwicke again on both artists’ respective sophomore efforts, “Lords of Dogtown” (2005), the fictionalized rags-to-riches tale of board rats Jay Adams, Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta, who revolutionized skateboarding and elevated themselves to wanton celebrity. Playing Alva’s sister, Kathy, the young actress had little screen time compared to her male counterparts. She next signed on to appear in a four-episode stint on the popular Fox melodrama "The O.C." in its third season. Reed has continued to participate in racy roles that involve the portrayal of sexually promiscuous teenagers, including Lords of Dogtown, also directed by Hardwicke. In early 2006, she appeared on the series The O.C., playing Sadie, a new love interest for the character Ryan Atwood. Reed has noted that she disagrees with what she describes as the "trendy and shallow things" that The O.C. promotes, and that she appeared in the series only on the advice of her agents. Her most recent film role is in Mini's First Time, which received a limited release in the United States on July 14, 2006. In the film, Reed plays a teenager who, through seduction, involves her stepfather in a plot to murder her mother. Reed has noted that her character does not "understand the weight of consequence", and that she enjoyed playing someone who she describes as "crass" and having a "trucker's mouth". Reed's character participates in explicit sex scenes, which had to be filmed from the point of view of Reed's back, as she was sixteen at the time and thus legally unable to film her scenes in a more explicit manner. Reed has written another script set in New Zealand between the 1960s and the 1980s. Reed has noted that she feels she is a versatile actress, but feels typecast in roles of "sexy bad girls," noting that producers often tell her that she is too "sexy" for a particular part. On February 12, 2008, it was announced that Reed would be portraying Rosalie Hale in the movie version of Twilight, which is also being directed by Catherine Hardwicke. After Thirteen's success, Reed returned to her Los Angeles high school, but dropped out again after a year. She cited her experiences, involving "mothers who were sneaking into the school at lunchtime to confront and harass me about the film" as the reason for her departure. Reed was subsequently home-schooled, and eventually received her high school diploma. Reed divides her time between New York City and Los Angeles. |
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