First stop Shortland St for Nelson actor

Viewers of New Zealand's premiere nightly soap Shortland Street will be treated to one of Nelson's up-and-coming acting talents - Amelia Reid

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Viewers of New Zealand's premiere nightly soap Shortland Street will be treated to one of Nelson's up-and-coming acting talents.

Tomorrow, Nelson's Amelia Reid will star as the latest receptionist to utter the immortal line: "Kia ora, Shortland Street."

Her character, 21-year-old beauty school drop-out Bella Cooper, is described as a "competitive listener" who is quick to give her opinion without thinking.

Ms Reid said she enjoyed playing the role, which she compared to previous receptionists Waverly and Marge, but thought she was quite different to her character.

"I hope I'm not too much like Bella, she has a heart of gold though," she said.

The two did have a few similarities, however.

"She has foot-in-mouth disease, I have that too," Ms Reid said.

It would not be Shortland Street without some romance and while giving nothing away she said viewers could expect her character to "dabble".

Ms Reid made her debut when she was just eight-years-old, performing at the World of WearableArt Awards in Nelson.

After discovering she had a passion for the performing arts, Ms Reid was encouraged by Nelson School of Music teacher Adele Tippet-Gough, who every Wednesday coached her in "a bit of drama".

"She is an amazing, talented woman," Ms Reid said.

After studying drama at Wellington's Toi Whakaari and graduating last year, Ms Reid moved up to Auckland to search for work.

She said she felt blessed to have landed the role so quickly after her studies, and described her role as a great learning experience.

"I haven't done any screen work before so every day I have been learning new things.

"It's a second drama school," she said.

The 12-week delay between filming and screening made the last few months feel a bit unreal, and it was exciting to finally be on television, she said.

- © Fairfax NZ News