H e i d a R e e d 's
beauty is extremely impressive.
Her unique features are perfectly carved out as if she were an astonishing work of fine art. In one word, she is simply 'gorgeous'.
This radiant woman is also successful.
Her name is well-known and celebrated all over the UK for her performance in a hit BBC television series.
As her characters, she can glide along elegantly side-saddle atop of a magnificent horse - or stomp around the city kicking ass in a pair of sexy stilettos.
Heida Reed has it all. The absolute dream. Beauty, power, fame and the ability to be anyone she wants to be.
But on the inside, she is Heida Sigurdardottir, the sweet girl who grew up in Reykjavik, Iceland with a huge heart, good manners and quite a self-humbling sense of humor! On the inside, Heida is as real as they come - and she is just like you and me.
Heida is an independent, strong woman, but has weaknesses like we all do. Body issues, temptations, being idle or un-creative at times. We all face these irritating obstacles every day, but most of the time we are either too busy or too tired to do anything about them - Well, Heida isn't standing for it anymore. This time she is taking the bull by the horns with her new, inspirational project called The Habit Swap.
Photo: Saga Sig
The Habit Swap is about tackling one bad habit at a time and replacing it with a good one.
Ok. You can do that too, right?
Well, here's the trick. Heida is going to let you follow her through her journey of every stumble, blemish and break down, on her very own, very public blog posts. No holds barred. She's getting rid of all the glitz and glam and stripping it down naked for the world to see!
Pretty scary, huh? Not so sure you got the guts to do it?
Well, let Heida lead the way! Already a few blog posts in, and this girl is on the attack, battling those nasty habits with a mighty force and terrific humor. The Habit Swap is entertaining, healthy and hilarious all rolled into one big ball of dough - but this dough is not to make a pizza with, so get your stomachs out of the gutter!
Heida's mother with her children
Heiða Rún Sigurðardóttir was born on May 22nd in Reykjavik, Iceland. The middle child of three to her pianist father, and her dental hygienist mother. A young Heida always wanted to be an actress ever since her dad gave her this playful advice: 'You should become an actress because in that way you can get an outlet for acting like an idiot all the time, running around and singing.' Thinking that was just the best idea she had ever heard, when Heida hit 18, she packed up and left home to start her career.
After signing with an Icelandic casting agency, Heida was sent to India to do some modelling and television commercials, but it was then that she realized, an international career and the ability to study in English, is what she really wanted - So, at age 20, Heida finally settled in London, where she studied drama at 'Drama Centre London' and graduated in 2010.
With the final piece of the puzzle just about ready to fit, Heida changed her Icelandic family name to "Reed" (as suggested by a friend to sound more English) and it was then that Heida Reed, a woman destined for fame, was born!
As any hard working actor knows, in order to achieve a career worth it's salt, you have to bear a slow and rocky start - and it was just that for Heida. She started acting in theatre and made her way into bit part screen roles - even ending up on the cutting room floor for her first ever - big break - film role in Dave Nicholl's Once Day starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess. Not the best way to send a career into lift off, but Heida was always appreciative for the experience.
She has also worked with accomplished French actor Jean Reno in the television series Jo and even played a vigilante turned vampire in the 2012 film 'rue Bloodthirst.
But as they say, 'sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life' - and Heida's first 'real' big step was into one of the tightest corsets you could ever imagine squeezing into!
Syfy Media, LLC
Mammoth Screen / BBC
Mammoth Screen / BBC
Heida Reed was working as a hostess in the Mayfair club to make ends meet, just before she got the part of the highly sought after role of Elizabeth Chynoweth in the BBC's anticipated period drama POLDARK.
For those who are not yet quite familiar with 'Poldark', the series is an adaptation based on the renowned novels of Winston Graham. The plot is centered around a man named Ross Poldark, a British veteran of the American War of Independence who returns home to Cornwall to discover his father has died, his inheritance, in ruins and his sweetheart Elizabeth is betrothed to another man - his cousin Francis Poldark.
Decades earlier, BBC television had struck gold with an original adaptation of the novels with a first series of the same name, starring Robin Ellis, Angharad Rees and Jill Townsend. When it aired in the UK it ended up being one of the most successful British television adaptations of all time - So, in 2015, when there was a new Poldark in town, viewers went into a frenzy.
This new version of Poldark brought a more modernized look and feel to the timeless classic while keeping true to the authenticity of the book. If the breathtaking sequences of Cornwall's landscapes weren't enough, then the love triangle between two boiling hot beauties and one, insanely off the chart, scalding leading man, was going to ensnare you instantly.
This series had just the right ingredients of sex, power and revenge to spontaneously combust - and explode it did! Poldark skyrocketed in ratings, changing the lives of it's stars for good.
Heida Reed's Elizabeth was both sweetheart and vixen. All eyes were glued to the screen as she used her lashing tongue like a blade, and her girlish smile to win back the charms of her leading men. The role was controversial, defiant and most always elegant.
Reed, up for the challenge of the role, captured every side to Elizabeth's emotional struggle with stamina and grace. She brought something especially unique to this timeless character that will never be ignored -- and no matter how many more adaptions these Graham novels will spark in the distant future, no one will ever embody the character of Elizabeth Chynoweth, Poldark, Warleggan as perfectly and delightfully sinful as Heida Reed.
Courtesy of Mammoth Screen for BBC and MASTERPIECE
In 2017, Reed took on the wild title role of Stella Blómkvist, a Icelandic crime television series, about a quick-witted, ultra sexy, lawyer with a dark past - which became an instant hit with both viewers and critics alike.
In the same year, Heida announced her engagement to producer boyfriend Sam Ritzenberg via instagram - and after filming four tremendously successful seasons of Poldark, she said goodbye to London and relocated to sunny L.A.!
Now, Heida is turning over yet another new leaf in her life. With a great man by her side and the world at her fingertips, she has decided to look inside herself to find the best person she can be - Healthy, happy and lots of fun! What could be better than that?
Cool Magazine had the absolute pleasure to chat a bit with this awesome lady all about her new healthy lifestyle, what kind of music gives her the 'eye of the tiger' and of course Poldark and her two co-star best-mates, Aidan Turner & Eleanor Tomlinson!
Read on and get to know just a little bit more about the very 'cool' Miss Heida Reed.
Jeremy Selwyn
Photo: Saga Sig
We read in your blog that exercise is a part of your new regimen, we have to know, what kind of music do you listen to to pump yourself up for a great workout?
"I love Rihanna for any occasion. She gets me in the right mood no matter what."
So many of us struggle with this fact - Can you still stay healthy at work? In your line of work, do you think there will be any obstacles?
"Absolutely. When you get tired you just want a biscuit or a cheesy pasta. I've managed to stay pretty good when working in the UK but in Iceland, forget it. The amount of sweets and treats they have lying around will make anyone weak."
The Poldark love triangle is quite intense, but also so much fun! It's obviously what keeps the fans on the edge of their seats. (it is for us, anyway!) You, Aidan and Eleanor seem to have such amazing chemistry off-screen as well as on. Having worked with these two lovely people for many years now, what is one thing you can tell us that you share in common with Aidan - and one thing you share in common with Eleanor?
"Well, me and Aidan are technically both the foreigners on set as neither of us are from the UK, and Eleanor and I both love low key nights in with a pizza and a film."
Your role as Stella Blómkvist is so bad ass! We loved it! After playing her, did you take any of her cool characteristics away with you?
"Hah! I wish. It takes a lot to convince people I'm that cool. I'm not."
So, in this exciting new venture in your life, you have had to give up some fantastic fun foods - Are there any "healthy snacks" that you discovered you actually really like?
"Yes absolutely. I like nuts and fruits and rye crisp breads, I cannot get on board with celery though."
Did your recent move to Los Angeles inspire this new healthy lifestyle, or is it something you always had your eye on?
"It's something I've always tried to maintain, I just fluctuate a lot with it. But yes, LA is a perfect place to focus on health and fitness."
You created The Habit Swap based on your bad habits, tell us some of your good habits that you love about yourself.
"I always take my make up off no matter what, even when I'm drunk, and I always admit when I'm wrong."
With Poldark 4 about to emerge, there's something we would love to know - Elizabeth's character was written by the great Winston Graham - but if you could've added or changed something, what achievement or journey would you have wished to see Elizabeth go on?
"I'm not sure. I think Winston wrote an epic saga and Debbie Horsfield has done an amazing job adapting it so I don't think I'd change anything. There would be a ripple effect to the story if I did."
The Icelandic language is very poetic sounding, and you speak it beautifully. When did you learn to speak English? Was it your second language, or was it something you grew up with parallel to Icelandic?
"I grew up speaking Icelandic. That's my first language. English was always around on TV and in music. By the time we learned it in school at the age of eleven, most of us spoke some of it already."
Who are some women you admire? (role models, mentors etc.)
"I adore Tina Fey. She's my idol. I also think Lena Dunham, Sharon Horgan and Amy Schumer are incredible."
And for the magazine, we always like to ask this question: What is your definition of "Cool"?
"Just being who you are. That's cool."
Heida is an amazing gal who makes us feel comfortable with ourselves and our bodies. She shows us that our struggles are not our failures. They are just "human". No one is a failure if they get right back up and take it all on again tomorrow - And that's what Heida does - and that's exactly who we want to be following down this long journey to finding our very own good habits.
- M & J Shepherd
