Storm Reid in The Last of Us spoilers ahead
Storm Reid is an acting powerhouse, so it's no surprise that she left her mark on episode seven of the smash-hit Sky Atlantic/Now series, The Last Of Us. Based on the iconic 2013 video game of the same name, the show, starring Bella Ramsey [Ellie] and Pedro Pascal [Joel] as leads, has become a phenomenon in the television landscape, leaving fans distraught with each episode. And the emotions were only heightened as we were finally given further insight into Ellie's previous life, which involved getting to know Riley Abel.
Riley, an orphaned girl growing up in post-apocalyptic Boston, was a dear friend of Ellie's and potentially something more. However, what began as teenage innocence between the pair was quickly dismantled by an infected host attacking them. While they fought back and killed the infected, they both realised that they had been bitten. With Ellie being widely known as an immune character, it was obvious what Riley's fate would be. Viewers wept tears, and the devastation was all too real as we loved Riley, despite her short-lived appearance in the series. She was powerful, strong, and just the companion Ellie needed, and we couldn't have imagined anyone more perfect to have played the role other than the supremely talented Storm.
“There's definitely a pressure to meet expectations.”
Storm's work history proved just why she was chosen for the role, having cemented her star status in films such as A Wrinkle in Time, The Invisible Man and the award-winning series, When They See Us. Most recently, she has taken on the role of Gia Bennett, the younger sister of Zendaya's Rue in the Sam Levinson-directed series, Euphoria. She also heads up the new thriller Missing and will be seen in the supernatural horror, The Nun 2 later this year. Storm's career work history at only nineteen years old is beyond impressive, and she has definitely cemented herself as the future of Hollywood, not just lending her talents in front of the camera but also behind, thanks to her production company, A Seed & Wings.
Here Storm Reid talks to GLAMOUR about the honour of representing a young black queer character such as Riley, the expectations The Last Of Us holds for her, and how filming for the heavy post-apocalyptic show compares to her experiences on the set of the teen drama, Euphoria.
GLAMOUR: So, we're seven episodes into the absolute phenomenon that is *__The Last Of Us. __*Why do you think telling Riley's story is important now?
Storm: I think it's so important to tell Riley's story now because the entire show, at its core, is about love and fighting for the ones you love. And we see that with Riley and Ellie's relationship, and we are exploring their friendship. Of course, they're best friends, and they have so much care and love for each other. But we're also trying to figure out if there is a crush there. So I think just being able to see the perspectives of each character is really beautiful, and seeing their POV through this lens of it being a post-apocalyptic world is just nuanced and brilliant. So I'm glad that we're able to tell Riley's story a little bit.
Speaking of the little crush, your character is such a beautiful representation of the LGBTQIA+ community and a positive portrayal of women of colour. Given those aspects, how empowered did you feel filming for the role?
Oh, I absolutely felt so empowered, and it's such an honour to play roles like that, where you know that it's going to touch certain people, and you're going to be able to represent a certain group of people. And as you said, I'm not only a young woman. I'm a young Black woman, and then to portray a young, Black queer woman, I think, is just beautiful and an honour. So I knew the responsibility of playing Riley would be a big one, but it's not something that scared me off or made me nervous in any way.
What did playing Riley tell you about the power of female strength in the face of adversity?
Women are so strong! We've known that. We've been known that. It's just about other people recognising or acknowledging our strengths. But [in The Last Of Us], we see the strength of two young people fighting to save each other, fighting for their lives. It's messy, it's complex, but that's what life is. That's what the journey of being a woman is, being strong. It's not always going to look how we think, the way that we think, or the way that we want, but we're always going to figure it out. We're always going to rise above. We're always going to try to put our best foot forward. So I think you definitely see that through Ellie and Riley.
What kind of research did you do before getting the role and then after getting it?
So, I don't play video games or know how to play video games. I didn't play the video game; I just read the script and was intrigued. I thought it was beautifully written, but I was still a little confused because I had no idea what was going on. But when I talked to the creative team, Craig [Mazin] and Neil [Druckmann], they explained what was happening and their passion for the story, and I fell in love with it even more. But if something has already been done, I don't really love to go back for reference too much because I don't want to cloud the new approach that we're trying to create or depict. But I did know with some of the gameplay that I did watch and some of the images I looked at, people love this game, and we needed to do this game justice. So they did exceedingly well and did over people's expectations for sure.
On the back of that, did you feel a certain sense of pressure being involved with a show with such a massive fan base and many expectations attached to it?
Well, actually, I didn't. I feel the pressure a little bit more now that the show is out, and people are obsessed and love it. But while filming, I knew it was a world and a universe that I wasn't a part of that I was so graciously and warmly welcomed into, which I appreciated and loved, but I didn't know that it was going to be as big of a deal as it is.
That's great to hear! With your episode in particular, there's an underlying simple teenage innocence between you and Ellie, but then, in stark contrast, there are these sinister threats and all this horror going on. How did you manage to switch so effortlessly between the two realities?
I don't think it was too hard. The bond that I created with Bella [Ramsey], which we had, helped inform Ellie and Riley's bond. We also had a lot of fun that month that we spent together! Every day was full of fun, full of jokes, and full of laughs. So I think that helped us personally, like, "Okay, yes, we're having fun in the arcade and the mall." But then, when things got serious, they got serious, and they got serious fast. But I think the comfortability that we had with each other offscreen helped inform all of the emotions and all of the things that we did in the episode.
Elsewhere, you've obviously a very booked and busy woman. In particular, we all know that you are part of the popular series, Euphoria. Is there anything you can tell us about the upcoming third season?
I have no idea what's going on! We haven't currently started filming yet. I think it's going to happen soon, sooner rather than later. I think they're just trying to get everybody's schedules together.
I can imagine it would be tough getting everybody together! In general, Euphoria is set in a more real-life high school setting. How does filming for something like that, which has fun, fashion, and laughter, compare to something more serious like The Last of Us?
I think I appreciated being in a different world shooting The Last of Us because Euphoria and a lot of the other projects that I'm a part of imitate real life, or at least imitate a part of life that I've experienced, like being in a neighbourhood or going to a high school or going to a party with friends. Those are things that I experience and that I do all the time. But I've never been in a post-apocalyptic world, so to be in a different set, I really enjoyed that. They did a great job with the props and decorations and ensuring everything resembled the video game. So it was a cool universe to be in.
You've achieved so much in your career already. What other things can we expect from you in the future?
The goal and dream are to continue to be a part of purposeful content and inspire audiences through my work as an actress and producer. We are doing some producing things with my production company, which is very exciting. I'm also not working as heavily right now with Missing just coming out, me coming off of a movie, The Last Of Us coming out, and I've just filmed The Nun 2. I told my team that I wanted to spend some time at school, so I'd like to finish my sophomore year at USC, and then we'll get back to work in the summer.
Amazing, so excited to see what else you do! Quickly returning to The Last of Us, what do you hope viewers take away from Riley?
I think Riley can teach people optimism no matter what circumstance they're in and no matter what situation they're in. I think she's the human personification of putting your best foot forward and still trying to show up in the best way possible no matter what's happening around you. I hope people can relate to that. Like, yeah, they are going through a lot, living through a lot, and living through scary times, but Riley is always excited, and she loves life even though life is not what she thought it would be. So I think people can relate to that, and that will hopefully inspire people.
Lastly, what would you say would be your three essential tips for surviving the post-apocalyptic world?
Find a good hiding spot. Find the food and resources if there are any left. Make sure you grab everything and then stay hidden. Don't make any noise. Try to survive. I don't know... my advice is not that good because I don't think I would make it far!
