Reina Hardesty Talks Filming Netflix's 'It's What's Inside'

Queen HardestyThe star is rising.

Known for her previous roles in Brockmire, Start-up and the Arrowverse As Climate Witch, the 28-year-old actress plays eccentric party girl Brooke in the latest Netflix film. It's what's inside – the body-swap black comedy in which he shows off his acting skills as not one, not two, but three different characters.

Us weekly chatted with the Hollywood up-and-comer about the film's surprising twists and turns, its message in the world of social media, and why you might not want to watch it alone. His advice: don't blink because you might miss something.

You recently went to the premiere of It's what's inside. How many times have you seen the movie?

This was the third time I saw him. It's been a while, I guess almost 10 months, since I last saw him.

I don't want to give it away, but the actors play many different characters. So every time you watch it, do you see something new or do you take away something totally different?

I think as an actor, the first time you see it, no matter how much you want to try to see it objectively, it's kind of impossible. Because we know what every day was like. We know what the script was originally and if there were any changes, and we're watching to see if I'm happy with how it went.

The first time I saw it, it definitely felt more like that the second time. Watching it, especially with the crowd at Sundance, was really exciting this time. I was able to really lean into appreciating everyone's performances with the nuances they leaned into. There was one scene that really broke my heart like never before. [It is] the scene where, when Shelby (played by Brittany O'Grady) is in Nikki's body (played by Alycia Debnam-Carey) asking Cyrus (played by James Morosini) in the body of Forbes (played by David Thompson), 'Don't you find me attractive?' It really broke my heart and amazed me. This time I felt much more emotionally affected.

How would you describe this movie?

It's a movie about identity and whether or not you can trust the people around you. I would say it's important to approach it without knowing too much. I really think people need to watch it with a group of friends because I think people can see themselves in the characters and it's more fun that way to react to all the crazy twists and pacing. It's a very fast pace. I would also recommend not using your phone at all, because if you miss a second, you might miss a lot. Don't open Instagram without thinking, but I don't think people do that because it's so attractive. It's a fun movie. Just enjoy [and] lean into the madness of this.

I wasn't expecting the twists and turns that made it so entertaining to watch. Everyone gets thrown into this situation playing all these different characters. Was that a big draw for you as an actress?

The dream of any actor is to have the opportunity to play several characters in a single film. And, you know, it's challenging and scary, but I wanted to read the script, it was so clear that [writer-director] Greg [Jardin] I knew what I wanted to do. There was such a style and almost a sense of humor and dynamism in the way he wrote and presented everything that it was like, oh, this is going to be really fun. And he has great ideas with RGB filters and Polaroids on how to keep everyone clear about who is in whose body. His specificity made me feel that, although I was afraid at times, I could really trust him and the people around me to do well.

It is described as a science fiction horror. Are you a fan of the genre?

I always find it difficult to describe this movie even as horror because it's not necessarily scary, but it is disturbing and psychologically disturbing. I feel like I love horror movies. My best friend and I see them together often. Sometimes we will do double duty. As we saw the other day Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The hills have eyes coincidentally in the middle of the day. We just enjoyed the emotion and went through an intense experience like that together, just watching it. but playing [a character] In a horror movie, you know, it's fun. It's a lot of fun, but it can get really intense and exhausting.

Is that how you felt about this movie?

I felt like it was definitely intense because we filmed this in 18 days. You know, in independent cinema many times you don't have much time and it was very intense and they were filmed at night. But above all it was very fun. With the whole cast, I mean, we were very lucky. It's wonderful to be around the entire cast and collaborate with them, so it really flew by.

In the movie, you're all good friends who get together to get together. Was it instant cast chemistry? Did you become a close-knit cast?

We did it. We had a week of rehearsals before we started shooting, which is very rare, especially in independent film. And it was very clear from the beginning that we were all willing to pitch in and not be too precious, you know, protecting our own characters, because that's sometimes the case. That wasn't really an option here, you know, because we really had to help each other and lean on each other in moments where we were like, well, what would your character do in that moment if you were playing someone else's character? And I think we were very lucky that they are all genuinely kind and down-to-earth people. We spent a lot of time together in this house, and then we also all stayed in the same lodge, and we spent time together constantly.

This film is about identity and that really resonates, particularly on social media and how we present ourselves to others by what we post and how we can want to be other people too by what we see portrayed online. What is your perception of the film's message?

I think everyone in this movie is hiding in one way or another. And I think there's an inherent loneliness in each person in this group in a different way. I will speak [my character] Brooke in particular. Because who I start with initially, you know, she's wild, she's loud, she wants to party and have fun. But I really think that deep down it's a mask and she just wants to be accepted. And I think that's Shelby, I think that's Cyrus in a way. Like I'm looking for intimacy in places like porn and online that can't really give it to you. And I think that's unfortunately a reality now that there's a sense of synthetic intimacy because of the amount of time spent online. And you may feel like you know someone or know what their life is like by looking at their social media, but you really don't. And I think we're all a little lost in the sauce. And I think it's about knowing yourself and being pleased with yourself, and also being honest with the people around you because the people in this movie aren't very honest with each other until, you know, they're pushed to the limit. Limit psychologically due to circumstances. And then they say, well, that's how I really feel. And it's like, well, maybe none of this would have happened if everyone was honest with each other and yourselves first.

Colman Domingo is executive producer. What was it like having him part of the project?

I met him at Sundance and was able to spend more time with him. And we really connected. And he has such a big heart and he's passionate about art and what he does, and he loves to encourage other people. And I really admire that about him.

You play Brooke. But you also play other characters. I won't give too much away, but what were your favorites?

I really loved playing all three characters. I will say that I wish I had more time with Shelby in my body. It would have been more fun to really lean into that because it was the first body change and it was the first time Shelby really leaned into that saying, okay, this is fun, and I'm going to let go and let myself go. of this anxious management that he has over management. I would have loved to explore that more.

What really scares you in life today?

The first thing that comes to mind is heights. I recently went to Paris for the first time and went up the Eiffel Tower, and it was really difficult. And honestly, I'm also afraid of the dark.

You will also star alongside Daniel Dae Kim in the upcoming Amazon Prime series. Butterfly. What was it like playing a murderer?

It was a very different experience, I would say for many reasons. We filmed this in South Korea and were there for almost six months. And even just being in a different country where you don't know the language and the equipment is all Korean. That makes it a lot harder from the beginning because it's like, okay, I'm really like a fish out of water. But that really lent itself to the character. She is a murderer, but struggles to find her identity in the world. And I'm very excited for it to come out because we work very, very hard and working with Daniel Dae Kim is a dream. He is simply a wonderful person and a wonderful artist to exchange ideas with. And he is a good leader.

Was there a lot of training involved?

There was [a lot]. I left there a month in advance to do stunt training. A lot of stunt training because it's action spy. I'm really proud of it.

It's what's inside now streaming on Netflix.