Imogen Faith Reid, a 27-year-old British actor, makes her acting debut portraying Natalia Grace in Hulu‘s drama series Good American Family. The show revisits the true story of the Ukrainian orphan with dwarfism adopted by an American couple, who later accused her of being an adult posing as a child.
Reid, who also has dwarfism, plays the lead in a dramatized version that explores shifting perspectives surrounding the high-profile case. The series, starring Ellen Pompeo and Mark Duplass as Natalia’s adoptive parents, aims to humanize a polarizing subject by emphasizing the legal complexities and the emotional fallout.
Reid was cast for the show after submitting a self-taped audition.
“I went for it anyway because there was nothing to lose. And I think I had done about 400 takes of that self-tape, and my sister was helping me,” Reid told Today.
Why It Matters
Good American Family arrives at a time when dramatized true crime is dominating streaming platforms. The Hulu show takes on the controversial and still-disputed story of Natalia Grace and presents it through layered perspectives rather than a single point of view.
Series creator Katie Robbins said the show’s success hinged on finding the right actor to portray Natalia. “It was such a challenging part, and it lived and died on finding somebody who could play it,” Robbins told Today.
Reid’s casting became central to the production’s integrity—not only because of her acting ability but also because of her experience with dwarfism, which paralleled aspects of Natalia’s identity.
Scott A Garfitt/AP Photos
Despite having no prior speaking roles on camera, Reid’s performance stood out during auditions. “She brought us all in with her emotional accessibility, her vulnerability, her ability to play multiple sides and shades of this character,” Robbins told Today.
The show’s structure requires the actor portraying Natalia to be seen as both a child and a potential adult, a dynamic that demands significant emotional range.
The show explores both the accusations made against Natalia and her subsequent abandonment by adoptive parents Kristine and Michael Barnett, who, in 2013, left her in an apartment and moved to Canada with their biological children.
They said that they believed that Natalia was an adult; court records and medical testing later affirmed she was 9 years old when the Barnetts adopted her.
What To Know
Before this role, Reid worked as a stand-in and body double on projects like The One and Only Ivan and The Rings of Power. Despite this being her first speaking role on camera, co-star Mark Duplass praised her professionalism.
“You add in that her form of dwarfism is different than Natalia’s dwarfism, so she had to learn a specific physicality that could work inside of her body and feel true to her. She had to build that whole thing out,” Duplass told Today.
To prepare, Reid worked with a dialect coach and learned the specific physicality associated with Natalia’s condition.
“I think the biggest thing is I’m a little person, and as a little person, I understand the daily struggles that we go through and the judgment that we perceive in everyday life,” she said.
How Old is Imogen Faith Reid?
Imogen Faith Reid was born on May 1, 1997, making her 27 years old.
How Tall is Imogen Faith Reid?
While Reid’s exact height has not been disclosed in interviews or official biographies, she has spoken about being visibly shorter than average due to her condition. Dwarfism is generally defined by an adult height of 4 feet 10 inches or shorter.
“People don’t often know that I am a little person and just think I am a child,” she told Popsugar. “I think this is because of the lack of information there is out there about dwarfism and that there are different types that people just don’t know about.”
What Kind of Dwarfism Does Imogen Faith Reid Have?
Like the real Natalia Grace, Reid has dwarfism, though her diagnosis is different. Reid was born with Russell-Silver Syndrome, a rare condition characterized by slow growth before and after birth, leading to short stature and distinct physical features.
“This type of dwarfism makes me in proportion,” Reid told PopSugar. “My family explain[s] it to people as me being similar to Thumbelina, as she is just a tiny character.”
Reid said she has curved pinkies and was born with blonde hair, both common traits of the syndrome.
Who are Imogen Faith Reid’s Parents?
Reid has not named her parents publicly in interviews, but she often refers to her close relationship with her family.
What People Are Saying
Imogen Faith Reid, who plays Natalia Grace on Good American Family, told Today: “Our show does a brilliant job of playing with multiple perspectives and creating our own versions of our characters. And you really have to watch it all to get the full picture of what’s going on.”
What Happens Next
Reid hopes the role will lead to more opportunities.
“It would be so amazing. I love this industry, and it’s such an honor to be a part of it,” she said while speaking to Today.
In the meantime, Good American Family continues to attract attention both for its gripping narrative and for launching the career of a fresh new talent unafraid to bring authenticity to an already complex story.
