Why You're Gonna Be Obsessed With The Teenage Star Of 'A Wrinkle In Time'

For several generations of American kids, A Wrinkle in Time has been a beloved part of growing up. The novel, first published in 1962, tells the story of a young girl named Meg Murry who embarks on an interdimensional adventure with the help of three supernatural guides in an effort to find her scientist father, who has become trapped on a mysterious planet of evil. Now, the book is being adapted into a blockbuster Disney film with a stacked cast, but who plays Meg in A Wrinkle in Time?

The role of Meg in the new movie is portrayed by 14-year-old Storm Reid, and if you don't know her name yet, you soon will. Reid acts as the main protagonist in a film that counts Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Chris Pine, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Zach Galifianakis, Michael Peña, and David Oyelowo as its other stars, so you just know she's destined for big things if she can manage to stand out among that crew. And while it may seem like she came out of nowhere to land the lead role in what's expected to be a massive movie, Reid has actually been plugging away at the acting game for a number of years already, having made her screen debut way back in 2012.

Reid's first role was in the 2012 Up TV movie A Cross to Bear, and her big break came just one year later when she landed a role in 12 Years a Slave, which went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture in 2014. In that film, Reid portrayed Emily, the daughter of Adepero Oduye's character, Eliza. Reid followed up this prestigious role with a return to television, where she showcased her versatility in a string of guest appearances on such diverse shows as the Nickelodeon sitcoms The Thundermans and Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn; comedy variety show Adam Devine's House Party; and network crime dramas Chicago P.D. and NCIS: Los Angeles.

Reid then returned to film in 2016 with a major role in the drama Sleight, portraying the little sister of magician protagonist Bo Wolfe. The film received largely positive reviews. In 2017, Reid starred in the comedy-drama A Happening of Monumental Proportions, and with co-stars Allison Janney, Jennifer Garner, Common, John Cho, Katie Holmes, Rob Riggle, and Bradley Whitford, she proved she could more than hold her own among a talented cast. She did so again in 2018, appearing in the music video for Jay-Z's "Family Feud" alongside Beyoncé, Jessica Chastain, Michael B. Jordan, Constance Wu, Mindy Kaling, Rashida Jones, Rosario Dawson, David Oyelowo, America Ferrera, Thandie Newton, and Moonlight's Trevante Rhodes (the video was also directed by A Wrinkle in Time helmer Ava DuVernay).

But even with her impressive acting experience, the role of Meg in A Wrinkle in Time is still the biggest and most challenging role of Reid's young career — especially since star-making roles of this magnitude don't generally go to young black girls. "It means everything to be a girl of color and play Meg Murry because Meg Murry is, in the books, a Caucasian little girl," Reid told EW's Devan Coggan in a 2017 interview. “It’s just surreal because I get to empower other little African-American girls around the world and say that you can be a superhero and you rock and you can conquer the world and you are beautiful just the way you are and your flaws are nothing and you’re awesome. It feels really good to be able to inspire not only little girls [but] everyone."

Reid also prepared for the big role by receiving advice form the film's biggest star: Oprah. "'You can’t put energy into trying to resist something in life,'" Reid said Oprah told her, according to Bustle's own Anna Klassen. "'You have to put that energy into something else, 'cause God has planned for you what he’s planned for you, and you can’t change that. You’re just wasting energy, trying to resist something.' That was really good advice."

With allies like Oprah and Ava DuVernay, there should be little doubt that Storm Reid is going to be a major Hollywood star. In many ways, she already is.