‘A Wrinkle in Time’ Star Storm Reid Is Taking Hollywood by Faith

Storm Reid, 14, portrays protagonist Meg Murry in Disney’s cinematic adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s classic novel, A Wrinkle in Time. As a biracial actress full of faith, having top billing among a star-studded cast is a very big deal for Reid, who got her first major break as Emily in the Academy Award-winning film “12 Years a Slave” in 2013.

“Ahhhhhh! A million words can’t express how I’m feeling right now,” Reid wrote on Instagram the day after the Los Angeles premiere of “A Wrinkle in Time.”

“Last night was so magical. This little brown girl’s dream came true last night. First of all, I’d like to thank God! Thank you for this opportunity. Thank you for letting me live out my dreams. Thank you for giving me the talents to share with the world and inspire my generation of young ‘change makers!’ I know that the best has yet to come and I know as long as I have faith of a mustard seed I know you’ll move mountains. ..”

A post shared by Storm Reid ?? (@stormreid) on Feb 27, 2018 at 2:25pm PST

Reid doesn’t take Matthew 17:20—in which Jesus says having “faith as small as a mustard seed” can move mountains—lightly. Reid wears a “mustard-seed charm” with the verse that she was given by her mother everyday.

“I say that I walk by faith, not by sight,” Reid told Faithfully Magazine a day after the Feb. 28 L.A. premiere of “A Wrinkle in Time.”

“Faith in God has been the center of my life for a long time. That’s what I grew up doing with my family. It doesn’t matter if I’m acting or doing school or doing anything, faith is a big part of me and I know that if I have faith [like] a mustard seed God will move mountains. That’s really kind of how I center my life and how I stay grounded and balanced and humble,” she added.

“A Wrinkle in Time” tells the story of the adventures of Meg Murry, her genius pint-sized brother Charles Wallace Murray (Deric McCabe), and friend and potential love interest Calvin O’Keefe (Levi Miller) as they set out through space and time to rescue her brilliant scientist father from evil entity The Black Thing. Through it all, an awkward and insecure Meg learns to embrace the qualities that make her unique.

The young actress headlines a cast that includes heavyweights like Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Chris Pine, and Zach Galifianakis. The Walt Disney Studios film is directed by award-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay. “A Wrinkle in Time” will be in theaters nationwide starting March 9.

Reid, who first read A Wrinkle in Time in sixth grade, nailed the leading role of Meg Murry on the first audition. Director DuVernay initially sought “a 14-year-old mixed-race girl of African-American and Caucasian descent” in the casting call for the $103 million budget film, according to Vanity Fair. But it wasn’t Reid’s age or appearance that impressed the award-winning Selma director.

“Storm truly is a singular talent,” DuVernay said in a press packet provided by the studio. “During filming, she made my jaw drop on a daily basis because of what she is able to do as an actor. She’s a romantic lead, she’s a heroine, she does action sequences, she gets to save the day, cry, laugh, be impatient, be forgiving, be loving, be spiteful…she can do it all. She’s in every frame of the film, and she holds it like a freaking rock. She is a force of nature, and aptly named.”

Many would argue that DuVernay is also a force of nature. The multi-talented filmmaker, who shares the director’s share for OWN’s “Queen Sugar,” has become “the first African American woman to helm a live-action feature with a budget over $100 million.”

But working with such a powerhouse director didn’t phase Reid, who said she was grateful that DuVernay gave her the space to work through her character.

“I didn’t want to alter Meg in any way I could or alter her journey in any way I could, because I knew that Meg is a loved character and she has been loved from the books for a long time,” Reid said, explaining how she approached the role. “So I just [tried] to step in her shoes and step into her situations and kind of like become her, and once I did that that really helped… Ava did an amazing job of letting me put my creative input into Meg and really creating her, so it was a mix of me kind of developing her and still trying to stick true to her story.”

The A Wrinkle in Time has inspired as much controversy as admiration since its publication in 1962. Some Christian bookstores refused to stock it due to the story’s controversial spiritual take on “light” versus “darkness” and overcoming the power of evil. The young adult novel also appears to place Jesus, who Christians believe is the only path to salvation, on equal footing with Buddha, Gandhi, and other influential figures, according to some observers. A Wrinkle in Time, the first in a series tied to the main characters, reflects L’Engle’s own Universalist Christian views. A liberal Episcopalian, L’Engle believed that, in the end, everyone will be saved because of God’s eternal love.

The theme of love—and family and self-acceptance—remain central to the Disney adaptation, and that is one reason to watch the film, according to Reid, whose other credits include “Sleight,” “A Happening of Monumental Proportions,” and roles in several T.V. programs.

“I feel like family is everything in life and I feel like that is translated throughout the movie,” the actress said. “Meg basically goes on this journey and risks her life for her father… I mean, that is her family and she’ll do anything for her family. There’s a lot of family representation in this movie and a lot of love and knowing that you can fight the darkness with your love and your passion for your family and your vulnerability.”

Reid’s mustard-seed faith continues to blossom. The star recently wrapped production of “Killing Winston Jones” in which she appears as Abigail alongside veterans like Richard Dreyfuss and Danny Glover. “Only You,” Reid’s horror/sci-fi thriller with British actor David Oyelowo, is also forthcoming. Plus, the actress shared that she and her mother have started a production company.

In light of such accomplishments, Reid said, “I feel like 2018 is gonna be a good year.”

Her mustard seed-size faith certainly appears to be making a major impact.

From the studio: Walt Disney Studios presents “A Wrinkle in Time,” directed by Emmy® winner and Oscar® and Golden Globe® nominee Ava DuVernay from a screenplay by Oscar winner Jennifer Lee and Jeff Stockwell based upon the beloved novel by Madeleine L’Engle. The film is produced by Jim Whitaker and Catherine Hand with Doug Merrifield and Adam Borba serving as executive producers, and stars two-time Academy Award® nominee Oprah Winfrey as Mrs. Which; Oscar, Golden Globe and Emmy winner Reese Witherspoon as Mrs. Whatsit; Emmy nominee Mindy Kaling as Mrs. Who; Storm Reid as Meg Murry; Levi Miller as Calvin; Deric McCabe as Charles Wallace; Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Mrs. Murry; Michael Peña as Red; with two-time Emmy winner Zach Galifianakis as the Happy Medium and Emmy nominee Chris Pine as Mr. Murry.

Editor’s note: Reid’s comments for this article were excerpted from our Q&A with the actress, published first exclusively via the Faithfully Magazine newsletter.