Nikki Reed has enjoyed both critical and commercial successes during the course of her still-young
career, but lately the actress seems to be more famous for her personal endeavors than
her screen time.
So, what happened to make the Twilight alum's career turn as stone cold as the vampire she
portrayed in the hit film series?
Here are some theories as to why Hollywood has lost its thirst for Nikki Reed.
Early stride
Reed's very first foray into show business came when she co-wrote the screenplay for
the semi-autobiographical indie film Thirteen when she was just a teenager.
Reed had enjoyed a longstanding friendship with Hollywood production designer Catherine
Hardwicke, who helped Reed write the script for the film she starred in.
The film was a huge success for both women, as it launched both Hardwicke as a director,
as well as Reed's acting career.
Ever since that movie, though, Reed hasn't replicated her success as a screenwriter,
even though her time on screen was just beginning.
High pressure
Thanks to her work on the script and the screen in Thirteen, Reed became someone to watch
after the film's release and later told Nylon that the sudden attention she received was
difficult for her to process at the time.
"It was a feeding frenzy, and I wasn't ready.
I couldn't understand what was happening.
I didn't have any media training—I didn't have anybody but myself.
I was a very sensitive kid who then had to condition myself to desensitize."
Despite her hesitation, she eventually began steadily working in front of the cameras,
starring in Hardwicke's next feature film Lords of Dogtown and landing a recurring role
in the hit teen soap The O.C.
Unfortunately, she had trouble finding the same kind of critical praise she'd enjoyed
in Thirteen, as her small-time starring vehicles, like Mini's First Time and Cherry Crush simply
didn't impress.
The Twilight Zone
Thanks to her close affiliation with Catherine Hardwicke, Nikki Reed was a shoo-in for a
role in Twilight, the big-screen adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's young adult vampire novels.
Reed was cast as Rosalie Hale, the impossibly beautiful adopted sister to sparkly heartthrob
Edward Cullen, and once the film became a full-on star-making phenomenon, Reed's status
as an "it" girl was officially solidified.
There was a downside to her part in the Saga too, though.
Some fans of the books opposed the selection of Reed for the role of the blonde stunner,
which gave Reed some serious self-confidence issues.
To make matters worse, the character was also quite off-putting and cruel, which may have
blurred the lines between Reed's real-life personality and the one she portrayed on-screen.
More importantly, the movies pegged her for more an ensemble actress than a leading lady.
Before the Twilight Saga, she was often seen as a central provocateur, but after the vampire
franchise, her roles have been more secondary in nature.
And even those movies haven't done well, often heading straight-to-streaming or getting shunned
by reviewers.
"This is brutal.
This?
Moviemaking?
I don't know what's going on."
Making music
At the tail end of the Twilight films, Reed began to dabble in music, thanks in part to
her former marriage to American Idol alum Paul McDonald.
The two collaborated on an EP together, and the pair were featured on the soundtrack for
Breaking Dawn – Part 2 for their single, "All I've Ever Wanted."
Reed further explored her interest in the musical arts by co-directing the music video
for Hanson's "Get the Girl Back" in 2013.
Even after the dissolution of her marriage to McDonald, Reed released another album with
him titled I'm Not Falling in 2014 and later branched off into a solo career with the release
of her 2015 track, "Fly WIth You."
Unfortunately, despite the effort, that has failed to become a full-on second career for
her just yet.
Other interests
Alongside music, Reed has also dabbled as a designer.
The actress has designed jewelry collections and handbags, both of which have rolled into
her ongoing charity work.
A casual review of Reed's Instagram feed makes her interests clear.
Like her husband Ian Somerhalder, Reed has become a vocal proponent of humanitarian,
animal welfare and environmental causes, ranging from her strange 2011 "Give a S***" campaign
video to her vocal support of the Ian Somerhalder Foundation.
She told Eluxe magazine, "As I got older, and I found my 'voice,' I became more and
more vocal about what I was seeing and hearing.
I only recently became more involved in environmental issues."
It may be a new interest, but she sure is diving deep into the do-gooder department.
Making a comeback
Shortly after their whirlwind marriage, Nikki Reed and Ian Somerhalder decided to team up
on a professional level as well, launching their company Rare Bird Films in 2015.
The title of the company, Somerhalder said, is a tribute to their shared personal mantra
of being "rare birds flying through the world nesting all over the place together and laying
eggs."
The kitschiness of that philosophy notwithstanding, their company did recently land a deal with
Warner Bros. Television
which will allow them to develop new small screen properties for the network.
About the feat, Reed wrote, "So excited to get the chance to produce amazing (& socially
conscious) TV … Now you know where we've been hiding!!"
Perhaps Reed, whose short-lived run on Sleepy Hollow ended her near-decade hiatus from TV,
will get a second wind for her career on the small screen thanks to this deal…
It would certainly be an interesting development, given that it was her behind-the-scenes work
on her first film which kicked things off to begin with.
In other words, don't count her out just yet.
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