B&B's Reign Edwards lands lead role in emotional drama about depression

Reign Edwards (ex-Nicole Avant, The Bold and the Beautiful) is thrilled to share that she has landed a very special role in the film Love You Anyway, a moving drama about depression that also involves B&B alum Justin Baldoni (ex-Graham Darros).

Fans of The Bold and the Beautiful have been hoping that Reign Edwards will make her way back to the canvas as Nicole Avant, especially because Zende (Delon de Metz) recently returned from Paris and confessed that his and Nicole's marriage had broken down. People need answers, dang it! Alas, it seems that the actress is busy making a movie, instead.

Edwards is excited to share that she will be playing the leading role of Mackenzie in the drama film Love You Anyway, which chronicles Mackenzie's life from birth to womanhood as she experiences the highs and lows of living alongside her childhood best friend, Lucas (Charlie Gillespie). As Mackenzie's struggle with depression worsens over the years, she's forced to find the will to fight alongside the people who love her most. The film hopes to show how mental health issues develop and evolve, and, ultimately, how they are dealt with and conquered through love and support.

"This one's so special for so many reasons and I can't wait for everyone to see," Edwards shared on Instagram. The actress also gave the film's director, Anna Matz, a shout-out, writing, "Thank you for creating a dream role of mine and allowing me to fill her shoes and tell her story! I've met so many amazing people on this project and can't wait for you to see everyone's amazing work!"

Love You Anyway is being made by Wayfarer Studios and is part of the Six Feet Apart Experiment created by the studio's Justin Baldoni (ex-Graham Darros, B&B). The initiative challenges storytellers to look past the social isolation of COVID-19 and use the current circumstances to fuel their film projects. Thus, Matz and her cinematographer, Andrs Aragn, are shooting much of the film on iPhones and believe that this form of capture will lead to raw performances, filmed by the actors themselves, that "remain true to the moments of connection, relationship, and individuality that people have saved on their phones."

Says Matz, "With this story, my main concern was always remaining authentic to the experiences of young people growing up, falling in love, and learning to live with the challenges they face. In Mackenzie's journey specifically, I wanted to create a means of understanding mental health in a way not often seen on the screen. I hope that this story can show mentally healthy people the complexity of depression as well as showing those with depression that there is a future for them in this world."

Love You Anyway will also star Gillian White as Mackenzie's mother alongside Akira Akbar, Ryan McCartan, and Anna Grace Barlow in additional roles.

Reign Edwards landed the role of B&B's Nicole in 2015 and played Maya's little sister until 2018. The Maryland native earned three Daytime Emmy Award nominations in the Outstanding Younger Actress category during her tenure with the show (in 2016, 2017, and 2018). She will be seen this December as one of the leads in the Amazon drama series The Wilds and is also part of the cast of the FX series Snowfall.

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With so many roles on Edwards' plate, many fans think that B&B may eventually recast the character of Nicole. Rumor has it the CBS soap may also be in the process of recasting Nicole's sister, Maya. The role was previously played by Karla Mosley, who officially bid farewell to the character in October, despite not having appeared on the soap for quite some time.

What do you think about Reign Edwards landing the leading role in Love You Anyway? What are your thoughts on the premise of the film? Do you hope that the actress will one day return as B&B's Nicole? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.

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