Good American Family sets up a dramatized version of Natalia Grace‘s childhood with Imogen Faith Reid at the center of the scripted series — but what is there to know about the actress?
Hulu released the first two episodes of the series on Wednesday, March 19, which introduced Us to Reid as Grace, who was adopted at age 7 by a U.S. family. Despite Grace being diagnosed with dwarfism, her adopted family — the Barnetts — ultimately accused her of secretly being an adult masquerading as a child.
The Barnetts were charged with multiple counts of neglecting a dependent in 2019. The charges were the result of a five-year investigation, where they accused Grace of lying to them while maintaining their innocence. (Michael was later found not guilty and the case against Kristine was dismissed.)
Before Good American Family, Grace spoke out in a three-season Investigation Discovery series The Curious Case Of Natalia Grace. Now Hulu is expanding the story with a scripted version starring Ellen Pompeo and Mark Duplass as the Barnetts, Christina Hendricks as Grace’s third adopted mother and more.
Ellen Pompeo will star in and executive produce a new limited series for Hulu, marking her first significant role since landing Grey’s Anatomy in 2005. The eight-episode show was initially called the untitled orphan project but has since been named Good American Family. The series follows a midwestern couple who adopts someone they believe is […]
“As Natalia, my version is very manipulative and always one step ahead and things like that. And we move onto my POV where we see her struggle, the abandonment, and I think that was, as an actor, fun to play with both,” Reid told TV Insider in March. “I mean, the first four episodes were so much fun, and I just unleashed that image, just ready to come out … my villain era. It was so much fun to play, but I do prefer Natalia’s point of view because it was so heartbreaking, and that’s a nuanced story. It’s hard to get to the truth.”
Keep scrolling for everything to know about Reid amid her leading role on Good American Family:
Is ‘Good American Family’ Imogen Faith Reid’s 1st Role?
Before Good American Family, Reid appeared as a double on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and HBO’s The Third Day. Good American Family is Reid’s first official TV role.
“I can’t believe I’ve just filmed my first ever TV series and I happen to be playing the main character 🤣💖 this experience has been honestly the best experience I have ever had! Every single person was so so supportive and I remember being soo nervous on my first day as it was all soo new to me!!” she wrote via Instagram in August 2024. “Thank you to everyone for always being the best everyday, for putting up with my singing and singing along, dancing with me on set when I had my zoomies 🤣🤣 and just always making me feel so loved and special it meant a lot💕.”
Reid continued: “I still can’t believe I got this opportunity, I still pinch myself everyday about what I’ve just done for the last 5 months I’m soo lucky and grateful. Thank you for giving me this role and believing in me this story is for Natalia Grace 💖💖 Thank you and I miss all of you even though it’s been a month 🤣.”
From the murder of Gabby Petito to the Rust tragedy, many true crime documentaries are coming our way in 2025. Hulu announced in February the release of Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna, which comes two years after actor Alec Baldwin was charged with involuntary manslaughter in January 2023 following cinematographer Halyna Hutchins’ […]
How Much Work Went Into Imogen Creating Her Version of Natalia?
Disney set Reid up with an acting coach after she was cast. “From there, we broke down the script, broke down the character and I talked with the directors, EPs and a dialect coach to find my own version of Natalia,” Reid told Variety in March 2025.
Co-showrunner Sarah Sutherland praised Reid, adding, “I mean, she not only has to play over a wide range of years, she also plays Natalia from two different ages and different people’s perspectives. Imogen blew everybody away. As soon as everybody saw her tape, it was clear she was the one.”
What Does Imogen Have in Common With Natalia?
In real life, Grace was 7 when she was adopted from Ukraine after being diagnosed with a rare form of dwarfism known as spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita. Reid, who was 27 when filming the show, has a different form of dwarfism.
“What she won’t say is she’s not speaking in her native dialect. The type of dwarfism that Natalia has is different than Imogen,” Duplass said about Reid during a panel in March 2025. “She has to figure out all these different movements — she has a movement coach. She’s doing all of these things in her first speaking role. This is something you shouldn’t do until you’re 70 f–king years old and she just knocked it out of the park.”
What Connection Did Imogen Have to Costar Ellen Pompeo?
Good American Family is Pompeo’s first TV role after nearly two decades playing Meredith Grey on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy. Luckily for Pompeo, her costars were already a fan of her work before she boarded the Hulu project as the lead and executive producer.
“I don’t have words NONE I’m so EXCITED to not only be starring in my first series or going to L.A but working alongside Ellen Pompeo, the fact that I’m obsessed with greys anatomy and now get to work with Meridith Grey I’m so excited, nervous, anxious ahhhh,” Reid wrote via Instagram in August 2022. “I guess I’m going to L.A😭😭❤️❤️.”
Getty Images (3); MEGA From the murder of JonBenét Ramsey to convicted killer Ed Gein, there’s several scripted true crime shows coming our way soon. Paramount+ recently announced a limited series that will cover the Ramsey family before and after JonBenet’s murder in 1996. The unnamed JonBenét Ramsey series specifically centers around parents John and […]
Has Natalia Reacted to Imogen’s Portrayal of Her?
“I didn’t personally reach out to Natalia,” Reid told Entertainment Tonight before the show premiered. “But I wanted to make sure that in my version of Natalia that I embodied such empowerment, and I made my version be seen with so much light and my voice heard, and just fight for justice really.”
