WATCH: Storm Reid Talks Acting Against Computer Screens For Her New Thriller, “Missing”
The actress discusses having more scenes speaking with her own imagination rather than with her legendary co-star Nia Long in this abduction suspense
Storm Reid‘s acting chops have been apparent against co-stars like Oprah Winfrey and Zendaya over the years. But in her latest role as a distraught teen taking the search for her mother into her own hands in Missing, she’s had to act against her toughest co-star yet – no one.
Told in the signature Screen Life-style, the story of 17-year-old June Allen in a frantic search for her mother Grace Allen, who never returned after a romantic weekend getaway to Mexico with a new boyfriend, plays out entirely from the POV of her phone, computer, and home security cameras. Since June is often alone working to figure out the situation at hand, Reid spent quite a bit of time looking directly into the camera and expressing emotion to an actor that wasn’t even present.
“It was very challenging. It was something that I’m not used to. I’m very used to having scene partners,” Reid tells ESSENCE. “Once I got the technological aspects together, with also having to incorporate the emotional stakes of the movie I started to have a really good time.”
Those emotional stakes carry the thriller, a whodunit that unfolds for the viewer the same time as the characters, allowing the audience to connect dots in real-time alongside our protagonist. Reid admits she got into her own head several times, but some choice words and guidance from legendary actress Nia Long helped keep her grounded.
“She’s an icon in our community, she’s a legend in her own right,” Reid says. “To just be able to work with people that you have grown up watching is a blessing, and she’s so sweet and so talented and she poured into me on set and it was very helpful, and was there to empower me and make me feel seen and heard, which I still appreciate.”
Missing opens nationwide today.
