Reina Hardesty, Who Grew up in O.C., Makes a Splash with ‘Butterfly’
- Richard Chang
- Sep 23, 2025
- 7 min read
The action spy thriller hit No. 1 on Amazon’s Prime Video in the U.S. and several other countries.
Reina Hardesty is an emerging actor who grew up in Orange County and stars in the Amazon Prime Video hit series, “Butterfly.” Last month, the spy action thriller leapt to the No. 1 spot on the popular streaming service in the United States and several other countries, and in the top 10 in more than 50 countries worldwide.
Reina is the daughter of Greg Hardesty, a communications project manager for Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC). He was also a longtime reporter for The Orange County Register, and former staff writer for Cornerstone Communications, based in Irvine. (Full disclosure: I worked with Greg at the O.C. Register for more than 14 years.)
In “Butterfly,” Reina plays Rebecca, an unpredictable, well-trained assassin who works for a super-secretive spy/intelligence agency called Caddis. The series – based in South Korea – also stars Daniel Dae Kim as her father, David Jung, and Piper Perabo as Juno, the boss of Caddis.
Reina, 29, took some time recently to chat with Culture OC about the success of “Butterfly,” growing up in Orange County and what’s coming up next.
Culture OC: Where were you born and where did you grow up?
Reina Hardesty: I was actually born in Upland. My family moved to South Orange County – to a house in Lake Forest – when I was an infant. I grew up in Lake Forest, Foothill Ranch and Silverado Canyon.
COC: Where did you go to school in Orange County?
RH: Montevideo Elementary in Mission Viejo and Trabuco Hills High School. (She also attended Los Alisos Intermediate School in Mission Viejo.)
COC: Tell us something about Trabuco Hills High School.
RH: Trabuco had a really incredible film program, a great theater and arts program. It helped me get my start, really. It gave me the confidence to pursue it for real. The film program at Trabuco really gave me that final push.
COC: Do you have any Orange County memories you can share with us?
RH: I have countless beautiful memories of Orange County. I’ve lived in L.A. for 10 years now, but every time I go back to visit, I’m just blown away with how beautiful it is. It’s big and just gorgeous. I feel like I can breathe deeper out there. I really love Silverado Canyon.
My first job was at the Rose Canyon Cantina in Trabuco Canyon, and that was a really formative experience for me. I was a busser. I was giving people their chips and salsa, and cleaning up tables. I love that drive to work.
That and, of course, just going to the beach. Growing up going to West Street Beach, Laguna, 1,000 Steps. Taking in all the nature, the beauty. It was great.
COC: How did you first enter show business?
RH: I was at the Laguna Hills Mall with my mom and brother. Someone scouted me. I was in Heelys (tennis shoes with wheels) and gaucho pants. It’s all kind of fuzzy. I was asked to take part in a commercial acting workshop.
I took classes at the Performer’s Academy, at a (Lake Forest) strip mall. I went there from the time that I was scouted until I graduated high school. So I didn’t start auditioning in the industry until I was an adult.
COC: What are some important roles you’ve been in, before “Butterfly”?
RH: They’re all significant. Aspen Fairchild in “Greenhouse Academy.” “Brockmire,” season 4. That one starred Hank Azaria, Amanda Peet.
“StartUp” – it was on Crackle. It has a phenomenal cast: Martin Freeman, Ron Perlman, Adam Brody. But I don’t think anybody saw it because it was on Crackle.
“It’s What’s Inside” – that came out on Netflix last year in October. It was an indie we shot in 2022. I believe it was the highest sale at Sundance. It was the little indie that could. My character’s name was Brooke – it was a body-swapping movie. I ended up playing three characters.
COC: How did you get cast for “Butterfly”? You auditioned, right?
RH: I got the initial audition like any audition comes in (with help from my manager and agent). I got to work, and I felt really connected to it. I did a tape with my friend.
I was then asked if I could have coffee with Daniel Dae Kim – he’s a producer and lead actor. He wanted to do a little vibe check. He wanted to talk to me, see if he wanted to bring me in for another audition. He was clear – he wanted to make sure everyone was a good person. He wasn’t going to hire just anybody.
I had three more in-person auditions. I went in to do a chemistry read with him. They changed the writing. I did another additional scene and some combat. It was definitely a long process, but I was OK with that, because it is a very important role in the show. A really complex role.
COC: When did you hear that you got the role?
RH: I was on a layover. I was in Charlotte, North Carolina, headed toward Richmond, Virginia, to visit a friend. I got a text, it was Daniel asking me to hop on the phone. I was thinking I did not get the role. It was Daniel and (showrunner) Ken Woodruff, and they said they wanted to congratulate me!
It turns out my flight was canceled. I was in Charlotte all by myself. I was shaking. I was so happy, so it was OK.
Scenes from Prime Video's "Butterfly." PHOTO 1: Reina Hardesty stars as Rebecca, a skilled yet unpredictable assassin. PHOTO 2: Daniel Dae Kim and Reina Hardesty observe their nemesis. Images courtesy of Prime Video
COC: Did you have to do martial arts training to do all those stunts?
RH: I booked (“Butterfly”) right before the actors’ strike happened, the SAG-AFTRA actors’ strike. That was a bit stressful, because none of us knew how it would affect our show. So I did extra combat training. Once or twice a week, we would get together and spar, essentially.
I learned how to use a karambit knife. And also just firearms training. I had a couple of extra months, because of the actors’ strike, so it was a bit of a blessing in disguise.
COC: What was it like working in South Korea? You were there shooting for six months.
RH: It was my first time being in Korea. It was really difficult, but it was a great time. Our entire crew was Korean. There were a lot of language barriers, cultural barriers that we had to figure out. But I’m really glad that we did work with a 100% Korean crew, because we learned so much from them.
We were so busy. The food was delicious. My favorite food was ganjang gejang, which is raw soy-marinated crab.
We got there in January when it was snowing. We worked through three seasons. There were different obstacles through different chapters of filming. In the beginning it was extremely cold. We finished in July, when it was hot. I remember doing action sequences in a car – we were sweating through our costumes.
COC: What was it like working with Piper Perabo (from “Coyote Ugly” and "Yellowstone")?
RH: Piper’s excellent. The end of the season was satisfying for us as actors, because I got to work with her face-to-face more. She’s a highly intelligent person, very funny and very lively.
COC: You and this show have been embraced by the Asian American community. How does that feel?
RH: It’s really meaningful. When I grew up wanting to be an actor, I felt it was never going to happen the way I wanted it to. The leads were always white. I was wondering if I had to deny this part of me that was Asian American, because I wanted to work. This series healed something in myself.
I’m so proud of Daniel. And I feel so incredibly lucky to know him and to work with him. He wanted my character to be mixed Asian American as well. There are not a lot of mixed Asian Americans in media. I’ve seen a few messages on social media that are really moving. Someone said they enjoyed watching an Asian girl kick ass. I like that.
COC: What’s your reaction to the general popularity of “Butterfly”?
RH: It’s really flattering. It feels great that people are watching. I’ve worked on so many things that maybe 12 people saw. It feels really great for it to be more viewed.
It has shown in 200-something countries. That feels great. And it feels great to know that something we worked so hard on, has eyes on it.
COC: Can you say a little bit more about working with Daniel Dae Kim?
RH: He’s a champion for everyone around him, especially from the AAPI community. To have him be a father figure for me – that bled into real life as well. This was my first time to have a big lead role in a big show like this. I learned a lot and got really inspired by him. I always could rely on him to guide me and make sure everything is OK. I soaked up every minute of it, and I hope we get to do it again.
COC: Will there be a season 2 of “Butterfly”?
RH: We hope so. If people keep liking it, keep watching it, we hope so. I know that things are in the works.
COC: Can you say one more thing about your dad, and both parents raising you and encouraging you to pursue your passions?
RH: I’m really grateful that they were open minded, they drove me to acting class once a week – the Performer’s Academy in Lake Forest. I’m just grateful that they knew I really loved this thing, let me do this thing that I loved.
They were not telling me what to do. They let my heart lead the way.
COC: What’s next for you? Are you working on anything?
RH: I just did a really cool short film (“Hello, Dad!”) with my friend Cameron Monaghan, who directed. I’m waiting to see what “Butterfly” will bring me, and I’m very excited!
