From Book to Big Screen

When Storm Reid first read A Wrinkle in Time, in sixth grade, she fell in love with the peculiar Meg Murry. But she never imagined she would play the awkward heroine of Madeleine L’Engle’s science fiction classic on the big screen.

All that changed when she came home from her 13th birthday party. That’s when Storm (now 14) learned that she’d landed the role of her dreams in director Ava DuVernay’s live-action adaptation, which hits the big screen this month. During the six months of filming, Storm developed a strong connection to the character she played. “We grew together, we are basically the same person,” says Storm.

At first, Storm was scared to act alongside some of the biggest names in Hollywood, like Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, and Oprah Winfrey. But not for long. “Once I got in the zone and got to become Meg, it all melted away,” she says. “It was all new, and so much fun that I forgot to be afraid!”

It helped that Witherspoon, Kaling, and Winfrey—who play the delightfully weird trio of Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which, respectively—“are all so great and so magical and so different at the same time,” says Storm.

Storm Reid was in sixth grade when she first read A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. She fell in love with Meg Murry, the book’s strange main character. But she never imagined she would get to play Meg.

All that changed when she came home from her 13th birthday party. That’s when Storm (now 14) learned that she’d landed the role of her dreams. She was cast as Meg in the live-action movie. It hits theaters this month. During the six months of filming, Storm developed a strong connection to the character she played. “We grew together; we are basically the same person,” she says.

Famous actresses like Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, and Oprah Winfrey were some of Storm’s co-stars. At first she was scared to act alongside them. But not for long. “Once I got in the zone and got to become Meg, it all melted away,” Storm says. “It was all new, and so much fun that I forgot to be afraid!”

Witherspoon, Kaling, and Winfrey play the weird trio of Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which, respectively. “They are all so great and so magical and so different at the same time,” says Storm. 

Although Storm used to attend public school (where she says she read Scholastic MATH!), she shifted to homeschooling to accommodate her acting schedule. She usually spent three hours a day or more on set doing her schoolwork.

She doesn’t regret being homeschooled, because it allows her to pursue acting. “It’s my passion and what I want to do,” she says. “I love to tell stories and become other people and empower other young girls to tell their stories.”

Storm used to attend public school (where she says she read Scholastic MATH!). She switched to homeschooling to work with her acting schedule. Storm usually spent three hours a day or more on set doing her schoolwork.

She doesn’t regret being homeschooled. It allows her to pursue acting. “It’s my passion and what I want to do,” she says. “I love to tell stories and become other people, and empower other young girls to tell their stories.”