Nikki Reed

Nikki Reed

Early life 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. She describes herself as having been "shy and a bookworm," but at the age of twelve she became rebellious and emotionally volatile. The relationship between Reed and her mother became strained when Reed experimented with drugs, alcohol, and sex. At the age of fourteen, Reed was emancipated; she then moved out and began living on her own. She had no specific desire to become an actress.

Career Reed and director Catherine Hardwicke finished the script for the semi-autobiographical 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. 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 distinctive recent 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 was directed by Catherine Hardwicke. In June 2008, Reed wrote a thank-you letter to her fans, thanking them for supporting her through the controversy that surrounded her, a brunette, being cast as Rosalie (described as a blonde). During a radio interview with Big O and Dukes of WJFK 1067, Jason Mewes stated that he is doing a movie called K-11 with Reed and Kristen Stewart, also of Twilight. The film, which is being directed by Stewart's mother, takes place in a dorm of the Los Angeles County Jail, and will feature both Stewart and Reed as male characters. [edit]Personal life 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.[6] Reed was subsequently home-schooled, and eventually received her high school diploma. Reed divides her time between New York City and Los Angeles. She is very close friends with with her Twilight co-star Kristen Stewart.