Harper is becoming a very important character on The CW’s hit sci-fi series The 100, so OMFGTV jumped on the phone to talk to the actress behind the only remaining female guard — Chelsey Reist.
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“Resilient.” That’s the first word that comes to Chelsey’s mind when describing Harper. “She’s just been through so much, and she keeps comin’ back, and comin’ back and comin’ back.” She’s been through more than most characters on the show, but this season we will see how it effects her. “We’re going to see her resilient, but growing tired.” Harper is getting tired of always fighting for her life.
Speaking of fighting for her life, how would Chelsey handle being in the delinquents situation? Would she be like Harper and try to survive, or would she be more like Jasper and just enjoy the time she’s got left? “I would try to survive.” Though Chelsey understands Jasper’s cheerfulness, she wouldn’t be able to give up. “I just can’t ever give up on anything, so I’d try to figure something out.”
Harper has gone from a background character to one that is very much in the foreground and part of major plot points, and Chelsey is incredibly thankful for that. Her absolute favorite part of being a more prominent character is that now she gets to play with the best of them.
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“She gets to roll around with the guys!” Reist exclaims. “Alongside them shooting guns and protecting her own. I feel proud of that, I feel badass, and I like her a lot for that.” Sounds like Harper is capable of taking care of herself, she’s definitely not the same girl that got tortured in Mt. Weather.
The 100 has a very large and diverse cast and characters, and Chelsey definitely wouldn’t mind playing a different character if she was given the chance, but which complex character would she want to play? “Murphy Murphy Murphy! And Octavia!” Chelsey loves all of Murphy’s layers, and how he’s gone from a “bad guy” to a “good guy.”
“We’re also seeing him grow to have love for someone, for a woman, not only for himself,” she explains. “But he’s also cutthroat and sarcastic, I think it’s a really cool role.” But Chelsey’s reasons for wanting to play Octavia are a little more about adventure, “I love the swords. I love the way she’s roaming around, the character’s riding horses and doing cool things.”
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If you pay attention to The 100 cast on social media, you might notice how much they all love each other and hang out even when they’re not filming. Chelsey attributes a lot of their camaraderie to the fact that they’re basically in bootcamp while filming the show. “We film at the top of a mountain. We film 10 hour days, night shoots under rain towers soaking wet, freezing cold. It helps you feel more bonded [as a cast].” Those kinds of conditions will definitely bring people together.
Want to see more of Chelsey as the resilient Harper? Be sure to continue to watch her kick ass on The 100, Wednesday nights at 9pm on The CW.
