Actor Imogen Faith Reid Had Never Heard of Natalia Grace Before Playing Her in a Hulu Series

There seems to be a pattern emerging in the world of true crime that wasn't always happening in the genre. Once upon a time a salacious crime saga might have gotten the made-for-TV treatment after it was splashed across the news. For example, in 1989 Farrah Fawcett and Ryan O'Neal starred in Small Sacrifices, which focused on the case of Diane Downs.

Nowadays, a crime could turn into a podcast well before a trial happens. Sometimes a documentary follows and if the story is wild enough, a fictionalized version of events could land on a streaming service. Elizabeth Holmes was famously portrayed by Amanda Seyfried in The Dropout, and everyone loved it. The tragic story of Natalia Grace is told via Hulu's Good American Family. Who is playing her? Here's what we kno.w

The casting for Natalia Grace was particularly important because she suffers from a rare form of dwarfism. Finding just the right person to play the role was paramount. Actor Imogen Faith Reid was the perfect person to embody such a complicated real-life character. According to her agency's website, Imogen is 4'3" which is about a foot taller than Natalia. Imogen is represented by Oh So Small, who specializes in extreme-height actors.

Imogen is from the United Kingdom and in May 2024, she turned 27 years old. The actor shared the good news on Instagram, writing that she wasn't too jazzed about this "aging thing." For perspective, Natalia was only 7 years old when she was adopted by Michael and Kristine Barnett, who are played by Mark Duplass and Ellen Pompeo in the Hulu series. This means Imogen had to have what it takes to play someone two decades younger than her.

In a red carpet interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Imogen revealed that she didn't know Natalia's story because it wasn't covered in the U.K. "I had to do my own research," she explained. "It was such a fascinating story so I really wanted to dig my teeth into it and go full ahead." Imogen was careful not to do an imitation of Natalia. She wanted to play her own version of her. "I wanted to make sure she was shown with empowerment ... and that fight for justice."

Imogen spoke with Entertainment Tonight about what she did to prepare for this role. She did actually speak with Natalia, but she did make sure her portrayal was respectful. When asked what she hoped others would take away from watching the series, Imogen said she wanted people to not judge others so quickly. She emphasized the idea that, "People don't always look like you, or sound like you, and I think we've done a really good job of showcasing that."