Storm Reid, a producer, actor and a full-time sophomore at the University of Southern California (USC) living on campus, discusses finding a way to balance both.
Reid told Essence that it is a blessing to be a part of the Euphoria cast and called the experience a “wild ride.”
“It’s such a blessing to be a part of Euphoria in general, but to be able to be recognized is even more special,” Reid said. “I’m just really going on the wild ride that Euphoria has taken me on the last few years.”
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Reid, who plays Gia Bennett in the Emmy-nominated drama series, said she believes her character is portraying the experience of dealing with someone battling mental illness and addiction, something relatable for the younger demographic that watches the show.
“I think even though we don’t see Gia a lot, I think when we do see her, it’s so beautiful and so nuanced,” Reid told Essence. “She is really portraying the experience of a person, a young woman furthermore, that is experiencing having a family member who is going through a lot battling addiction and mental illness. And she’s also trying to grow up herself. I think that’s why the show is so loved because it’s relatable. And yes, it’s entertainment, so the situations are heightened. But at Euphoria’s core, it’s to just have progressive conversations and try to bridge the disconnect between Gen Z and the older generations.”
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When she isn’t on the set of Euphoria, Reid is also shooting other projects, running her own production company, A Seed & Wings and living on-campus at USC as a full-time student. Reid said it is challenging balancing her career and her schooling.
“I mean, it’s challenging,” Reid said. “I think I found that if I thought about everything that I had to do within a week, I’d get extremely overwhelmed and feel like I couldn’t get through the week without having major anxiety. But I think I found out early for my peace of mind. It helped me to realize that I just have to take it one day at a time and take baby steps, and give myself grace.”
The 19-year-old, currently a Cinematic Arts major (for film production) and African American studies minor, told Essence that she is a typical teenager experiencing life and furthering her education.
“I am trying to accomplish furthering my education and just being a regular, normal teenager at school, experiencing life, but then also, running a production company and acting and being the face of brands. It becomes a lot and sometimes feels like I bit off a little more than I can chew,” she admits. “But, I always have to remind myself: I wouldn’t be in a position to be doing these things if I couldn’t handle it.”
In an episode of Amazon’s Off To College collection, an MTV cribs-style tour called Dorm Roomz, Reid shared how she aligned herself with brands that feel authentic to her. She also noted the series shows some of her personality.
“I always try to align myself with campaigns and brands that make sense and that are authentic to me,” she said. “The Dorm Roomz video series is a really cool opportunity that I got to be a part of because not only will it help launch Amazon’s Off to College collection, but it also shows a little bit of my personality. My on-campus apartment plays as my sanctuary, my study hall, my entertainment space. I love entertaining and having my friends over for movie nights, or we just all pile up in my room and study.”
Reid recently spoke with BlavityU on how she found mentorship on the set of Euphoria and the challenges she faced when trying to get into the acting business.
“I think anything that we do that involves chasing our dreams or passions is not ever going to be an easy journey,” she shared. “I did start at three, which is really young, and I do remember having to put in a lot of hard work. I stayed in acting classes. I stayed in training. And I was always going to casting director workshops to perfect my craft.”
You can catch Reid in the sequel to 2018’s Searching, opposite Nia Long.
