Halina Reijn: The Life Story Behind the Dutch Actress and Director
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Halina Reijn is a Dutch actress and director who has lived two careers in one life. First, she became one of the most respected stage actresses in the Netherlands, working with the country’s leading theatre company and appearing in major Dutch films. Then, in her forties, she became a film director, and her films Instinct, Bodies Bodies Bodies, and Babygirl brought her international fame as a bold and original filmmaker. It is a rare story, because few actors make such a successful change so late in their careers, and fewer still do it with such confidence.
She was born in Amsterdam in 1975, and she grew up in a city that was full of art, theatre, and ideas. She studied acting, she joined the theatre, and she spent many years on stage, learning how to play complex characters in front of a live audience. That stage experience gave her a deep understanding of acting, and it later made her a director who knew how to talk to actors and how to get the best from them.
What makes her story worth telling is the courage of her second act. She could have stayed a successful stage actress for the rest of her life. Instead, she decided to direct, she made a first film that was raw and honest, and she kept going until she was directing major Hollywood films with major stars. Her story is about talent, about risk, and about a woman who refused to stay in one box.
Growing Up in Amsterdam
Halina Reijn was born on 10 November 1975 in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. Amsterdam was a city of canals, bicycles, museums, and theatres, and it was a place where art was part of daily life. She grew up in this atmosphere, and she absorbed it without thinking about it. She was a curious child, interested in people, in stories, and in the way that a performance could make an audience feel something real.
As a young person, she was drawn to theatre. She liked the idea of standing on a stage, of becoming another person for a few hours, and of sharing a story with a room full of strangers. She was not afraid of being watched. In fact, she liked it, because it gave her a chance to explore feelings and ideas that were hard to talk about in ordinary life. That love of performance stayed with her, and it led her to study acting seriously.
Her school years gave her a good education, and they also gave her a sense of independence. Amsterdam in the 1980s and 1990s was a liberal and open city, and young people there were encouraged to think for themselves and to question the world around them. Reijn absorbed that spirit, and it later appeared in her work as a director, where she asks difficult questions about power, desire, and identity, and where she does not offer easy answers.
The city also gave her a love of art in all its forms. She went to museums, she watched films, she read books, and she learned to appreciate different kinds of storytelling. That wide education made her a thoughtful artist, one who could draw on many sources when she created her own work. It also gave her a sense of what Dutch culture could be: open, honest, and unafraid to talk about difficult subjects.
Studying Acting and the Stage
After school, Reijn studied acting at the Maastricht Academy of Dramatic Arts, one of the leading drama schools in the Netherlands. The training was demanding, and it taught her the technical side of acting: how to use her voice, how to move on stage, how to work with other actors, and how to build a character from the inside out. She learned that acting was not just about talent. It was about discipline, about practice, and about a willingness to be vulnerable in front of an audience.
After graduating, she joined Toneelgroep Amsterdam, the leading theatre company in the Netherlands, which is now known as Internationaal Theater Amsterdam. She worked there for many years, performing in classic plays and in new works, and she became one of the company’s most respected actresses. The stage taught her how to hold an audience’s attention for hours, how to work with a director, and how to make a character feel real even when the play was set in another time or place.
Her stage work was varied and demanding. She played in plays by Shakespeare, by Chekhov, and by modern Dutch writers, and she showed that she could handle both comedy and tragedy. She was known for her intensity and her honesty on stage, and audiences trusted her to give a real performance, not a safe one. That reputation made her one of the most sought after stage actresses in the Netherlands.
The years on stage also gave her a deep understanding of how a director works. She watched directors closely, she learned how they shaped a production, and she began to think about what she would do differently if she were in charge. That thinking would later lead her to directing, but at the time it was just a quiet idea in the back of her mind, waiting for the right moment to grow.
Black Book and Film Acting
Reijn’s film career began in Dutch cinema, and her most famous early film role was in Black Book, directed by Paul Verhoeven and released in 2006. The film was set during the Second World War, and it told the story of a Jewish woman who joins the Dutch resistance. Reijn played a supporting role in the film, and she worked with a large cast in a major production that was seen around the world. Black Book was a critical and commercial success, and it brought Dutch cinema to a wider audience.
Working on Black Book taught her a great deal about film acting, which is very different from stage acting. On film, the camera is close, and a small gesture can say a great deal. Reijn learned to adjust her performance for the camera, to be more subtle, and to trust that the audience would see what she was feeling. That lesson would later help her as a director, because she knew how to talk to actors about the difference between stage and screen.
She appeared in other Dutch films and television series in the years that followed, building a solid career as a film actress. She was known as a reliable and talented performer, and she was respected by directors and by her fellow actors. She also continued to work on stage, balancing her theatre and film work in a way that few actors manage to do.
Her film acting years were important because they gave her a view of the film industry from the inside. She saw how films were made, how directors worked, and how a story was put together on screen. She also saw the limitations of being an actress, and she began to feel that she wanted more control over the stories she was part of. That feeling grew stronger over time, and it eventually led her to make a bold decision.
The Decision to Direct
In her early forties, Reijn decided to become a film director. It was a brave decision, because she was already a successful actress, and directing meant starting again in a new role. She had to learn how to work behind the camera, how to plan a film, how to work with a crew, and how to take responsibility for the whole production. She was willing to do that, because she had stories she wanted to tell in her own way.
Her directorial debut was Instinct, released in 2019. The film told the story of a psychologist who works in a prison and who becomes involved with a sex offender she is treating. It was a difficult and controversial subject, and Reijn handled it with honesty and courage. The film was praised for its performances and for its refusal to offer easy answers, and it was selected as the Dutch entry for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. It was a remarkable debut, and it showed that Reijn was a director to be taken seriously.
Instinct was important because it showed her style as a director. She was interested in power, in desire, and in the grey areas of human behaviour, and she was not afraid to explore them. She worked closely with her actors, and she created a safe space on set where they could take risks. That approach came directly from her years as an actress, because she knew what actors needed in order to do their best work.
The success of Instinct gave her the confidence to keep directing, and it brought her to the attention of filmmakers in other countries. She was no longer just a Dutch stage actress. She was a film director with an international reputation, and she was ready for the next step in her career.
Bodies Bodies Bodies
In 2022, Reijn directed Bodies Bodies Bodies, an American horror comedy about a group of young people at a house party where a game goes wrong and people start to die. The film was a very different kind of project from Instinct. It was funny, fast, and full of young actors, and it was made for an American audience. Reijn handled the change of style with ease, and the film became a success, praised for its humour, its energy, and its sharp view of modern youth culture.
Bodies Bodies Bodies showed that Reijn could work in Hollywood and that she could handle a genre film as well as a serious drama. She worked with a young cast, including Amandla Stenberg and Pete Davidson, and she created a film that was both entertaining and smart. Critics praised her direction, and audiences enjoyed the film’s twists and its dark humour. It was a major step forward in her career as a director.
The film also showed her ability to adapt. She had come from Dutch theatre and from a serious drama about a prison psychologist, and now she was making a horror comedy for American teenagers. That flexibility is rare, and it is a sign of a director who is curious and open to new challenges. She did not want to be limited to one kind of film. She wanted to try different things, and she was willing to take the risk of failing in order to learn.
Bodies Bodies Bodies made her a known name in Hollywood, and it led to offers for bigger projects. She had proven that she could direct a successful American film, and that she could do it with style and with intelligence. It was a turning point, and it set the stage for her next film, which would be even bigger.
Babygirl and International Fame
In 2024, Reijn directed Babygirl, a film starring Nicole Kidman as a successful businesswoman who begins an affair with a younger intern. The film explored themes of power, desire, and control, and it was one of the most talked about films of the year. Kidman’s performance was praised, and Reijn’s direction was recognised as bold, honest, and deeply human. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where Kidman won the award for Best Actress, and it brought Reijn international fame as a director.
Babygirl was a brave film, because it dealt with female desire in a way that few mainstream films do. Reijn did not shy away from difficult questions, and she did not judge her characters. She showed a woman who was powerful in her work life and vulnerable in her private life, and she did so with care and with respect. The film sparked a great deal of discussion, and it confirmed Reijn as a director who was willing to take risks and to tell stories that others might avoid.
Working with Nicole Kidman was a major step for Reijn, and she handled it with confidence. She had to direct one of the most famous actresses in the world, and she had to do it in a way that allowed Kidman to give a brave and honest performance. She succeeded, and the result was a film that was both a critical success and a cultural talking point. It showed that Reijn had arrived as a major international director.
Babygirl also showed how far she had come from her days on the Dutch stage. She had gone from acting in plays in Amsterdam to directing a Hollywood film with a major star, and she had done it in less than a decade. That is a remarkable journey, and it is a testament to her talent, her hard work, and her willingness to take risks. She is now seen as one of the most exciting directors working today.
Life Today and What Comes Next
Today, Halina Reijn is a director in demand, working on new projects in Hollywood and in Europe. She has become a role model for actors who want to direct, and for women who want to tell bold stories on screen. She has shown that it is possible to change careers in mid-life, and to do so successfully, if you are willing to work hard and to take risks. Her story is an inspiration to many people who feel that it is too late to try something new.
She continues to live and work between the Netherlands and the United States, and she remains connected to Dutch theatre and film. She has spoken about the importance of her Dutch roots, and about how her training in Amsterdam shaped her as an artist. She has not forgotten where she came from, and she brings that Dutch directness and honesty to her work in Hollywood.
Her future projects are eagerly awaited, and there is a great deal of interest in what she will do next. She has proven that she can direct a serious drama, a horror comedy, and a bold erotic thriller, and that she can do each of them well. That range is rare, and it suggests that her best work may still be ahead of her. She is a director who is still growing, still learning, and still willing to surprise her audience.
Reijn’s story is a story of two careers, of a stage actress who became a film director, and of a woman who refused to accept limits. It is a story that shows that talent can take many forms, and that a person who is willing to take a risk can find a new path, even when the old path was already successful. That is a lesson worth remembering, and it is one that will inspire others for years to come.
Directing Actors With Trust
One of the reasons Halina Reijn is such a good director is that she was an actress herself, and she knows what it feels like to be directed. Many directors talk to actors as if they were instruments, telling them exactly what to do and how to do it. Reijn talks to actors as partners, asking them what they think, listening to their ideas, and creating a space where they feel safe to take risks. That approach comes directly from her years on stage with Toneelgroep Amsterdam, where she learned that the best performances come from trust, not from fear.
On the set of Instinct, she worked with actors who had to play very difficult and emotional scenes, and she made sure that they felt supported. She talked to them before filming, she explained what the scene needed, and she gave them time to prepare. She did not rush them, and she did not force them into a performance they were not ready for. That patience is rare in film, where time is money and where directors are often under pressure to move quickly. Reijn resisted that pressure, because she knew that a rushed performance would not be an honest one.
On Babygirl, she worked with Nicole Kidman, one of the most famous actresses in the world, and she had to earn Kidman’s trust. Kidman has worked with many great directors, and she does not give her trust easily. Reijn earned it by being prepared, by being honest about what the film needed, and by creating a set where Kidman felt safe to be vulnerable. The result was a performance that many critics called one of Kidman’s best, and it was a direct result of Reijn’s way of working with actors. A director who can get that kind of performance from a major star is a director with a rare gift.
Her approach also extends to young actors. On Bodies Bodies Bodies, she worked with a cast of young performers, many of whom were still early in their careers, and she helped them to find their characters and to work together as an ensemble. She did not treat them as beginners. She treated them as professionals, and she gave them the same respect she gave to Kidman. That respect is part of why the film feels so alive, because the young actors trusted their director and were willing to take risks for her.
From Stage to Screen: A Director’s Eye
Halina Reijn’s years on stage gave her a director’s eye long before she ever directed a film. As an actress with Toneelgroep Amsterdam, she watched directors work, she learned how a production is built, and she began to think about what she would do differently. She noticed how a director’s choices about light, about space, and about timing could change the meaning of a scene, and she stored those observations away for the day when she would be the one making the choices. That day came with Instinct, and her stage experience was visible in every frame of the film.
Theatre also taught her about the relationship between an actor and an audience. On stage, the audience is present, breathing, and reacting in real time, and an actor learns to feel that energy and to respond to it. Reijn brings that awareness to her films, and she directs her actors to perform as if the camera were an audience, present and attentive. That is why her films feel so immediate, because the performances are not made for a distant camera. They are made for a viewer who is close, who is watching, and who is feeling what the characters feel.
Her stage work also gave her a love of text. A play is built on words, and an actress who has spent years speaking the words of Shakespeare and Chekhov learns to respect language and to understand how a single line can carry great weight. Reijn’s films have that same respect for language. Her characters speak in a way that feels real, not in a way that sounds like a script, and their words carry the weight of their feelings. That is a direct result of her theatre training, and it is one of the things that makes her films so strong.
My Take:
When I think about Halina Reijn, I think about courage, and I think that courage is the most important part of her story. It takes courage to be a good actress, because an actor must be vulnerable in front of an audience. But it takes a different kind of courage to give up a successful career as an actress and to start again as a director in your forties. Most people would not do that. They would stay where they were safe, and they would enjoy the success they had already earned. Reijn did not stay safe. She took a risk, and she made a film about a difficult subject, and she proved that she could direct. I admire that risk, because it shows a person who cares more about growth than about comfort.
I admire her work as a director because it is honest. She does not make films that tell the audience what to think. She makes films that ask questions, and she lets the audience work out the answers for themselves. Instinct asks what happens when a professional crosses a line. Babygirl asks what happens when a powerful woman wants something she is not supposed to want. These are not easy questions, and Reijn does not offer easy answers. She shows the complexity of human desire, and she does it with respect for her characters. That honesty is rare in mainstream cinema, and it is one of the reasons her films feel so alive.
What moves me most about her is the way she works with actors. She was an actress herself, and she knows what it feels like to be directed. She knows when an actor needs encouragement, when they need space, and when they need a clear direction. That understanding makes her a better director, because she can create a safe space on set where actors feel free to take risks. Nicole Kidman’s performance in Babygirl is a good example of that. Kidman gave a brave and vulnerable performance, and she could only do that because she trusted her director. Reijn earned that trust, and it shows in the film.
I also think about her Dutch background, and I find it very important. Dutch culture is known for being direct and honest, and Reijn brings that directness to her films. She does not hide behind pretty pictures or easy sentiment. She looks at difficult subjects head on, and she tells the truth as she sees it. That is a Dutch quality, and it is one that makes her films stand out in Hollywood, where many directors are afraid to be direct. I respect that, because it shows a person who has not lost herself in the Hollywood system.
If I have a sadness about her story, it is that she had to wait so long to become a director. She was a talented actress for many years, but she did not direct her first film until she was in her forties. That is not her fault. It is a sign of how hard it is for women, and for actors, to be given a chance to direct. The film industry often assumes that a director must be a young man with a camera, and it overlooks people who have spent years learning about acting and storytelling. Reijn proved that assumption wrong, but she should not have had to wait so long to do it. I hope that her success will make it easier for other actors, and for other women, to direct sooner.
I also think about Bodies Bodies Bodies, and I find it fascinating that she could make such a different film after Instinct. Many directors find one style and stay with it. Reijn moved from a serious drama to a horror comedy, and she did it well. That shows a flexibility and a curiosity that is rare, and it suggests that she is not interested in repeating herself. She wants to try new things, and she is willing to learn new genres. That is a sign of a director who is still growing, and I find that very exciting.
Another thing I notice is the way she handles power in her films. Her films are often about power: who has it, who wants it, and what happens when it changes hands. In Instinct, a psychologist has power over a prisoner, and then that power shifts. In Babygirl, a businesswoman has power at work, and then she gives it up in her private life. These are complex ideas, and Reijn explores them with care. She does not make simple statements about power. She shows how it works in real life, in small moments and in large ones, and she lets the audience see the complexity. That is a thoughtful approach, and it is one that makes her films worth watching more than once.
When I compare Reijn with other directors of her generation, what stands out is her background as an actress. Most directors learn their craft behind the camera. Reijn learned it on stage, in front of an audience, and that gives her a different perspective. She knows what it feels like to be watched, to be vulnerable, and to trust a director. That knowledge makes her a more empathetic director, and it shows in the performances she gets from her actors. I think that is a valuable lesson for the film industry: actors who become directors bring something special to the job, and they should be given more chances to do it.
For a young person who wants to work in film, I think the lesson from Reijn is to not be afraid to change direction. She was a successful actress, and she could have stayed one. Instead, she followed a new idea, and she built a second career that may be even more important than the first. That takes courage, and it takes a belief that it is never too late to learn something new. A young person who follows her example will not be afraid to try, and that willingness to try is the first step to doing something meaningful.
In the end, I think Halina Reijn teaches us that a career is not a straight line. It can turn, it can change, and it can lead to places you did not expect. She went from the stage in Amsterdam to the film sets of Hollywood, from acting to directing, and from Dutch theatre to international fame. She did it by working hard, by taking risks, and by staying true to her own vision. I admire her for it, and I look forward to seeing what she does next, because I believe that her story is still unfolding, and that her best work may still be ahead of her.
One more thought stays with me, and it is about the women in her films. She tells stories about women who are complex, who want things, who make mistakes, and who are not easy to categorise. That is a rare and valuable thing in cinema, where women are often shown as simple characters. Reijn’s women are real, and they are the reason her films feel so honest. I am glad that she is telling their stories, and I hope she will keep telling them for many years to come.
I also think about the way she films desire, because it is one of the most difficult subjects in cinema, and Reijn handles it with an honesty that is rare. Many films show desire as something simple, or as something to be ashamed of, or as something that only belongs to young people. Reijn shows it as something complex, something that can be powerful and confusing at the same time, and something that does not disappear when a person gets older or becomes successful. In Babygirl, the main character is a successful businesswoman in her fifties, and the film treats her desires as real and important, not as a joke or as a problem to be solved. That is a brave and necessary perspective, and I am glad that Reijn was willing to put it on screen.
Another thing I admire is her sense of humour, because even her most serious films have moments of lightness. Bodies Bodies Bodies is funny as well as tense, and Instinct has moments of warmth in the middle of a difficult story. That humour is not an accident. It comes from Reijn’s understanding that life is never only serious or only funny, and that a film which shows only one side of life is not telling the truth. Her films feel real because they contain both, and that balance is one of the things that makes her work so engaging.
I also think about the Dutch theatre tradition she comes from, and about how it shaped her as a director. Dutch theatre is known for being direct, for asking difficult questions, and for not shying away from uncomfortable subjects. Reijn brings that tradition to her films, and it makes them stand out in Hollywood, where many films avoid difficult questions in order to please a wide audience. She does not avoid them. She asks them, and she lets the audience sit with the discomfort. That is a courageous way to make films, and it is one that I respect deeply.
There is also a lesson here about age and about starting late. Reijn directed her first film in her forties, at an age when many people think it is too late to start something new. She proved that it is not too late, and that a person who has spent years learning a craft can bring something special to a new role. Her years as an actress were not wasted time. They were preparation, and they made her a better director than she would have been if she had started younger. I think that is an inspiring message for anyone who feels that they have missed their chance. It is never too late to try, and the experience you have already gained will help you in ways you may not expect.
I think about the future of women directors too, and about Reijn’s place in it. The film industry has long been dominated by men, and women directors have had to fight for opportunities that men are given more easily. Reijn’s success shows that a woman can direct a major Hollywood film, can work with major stars, and can tell bold stories about female desire, and can do it with critical and commercial success. That is an important achievement, not just for her, but for all the women who want to direct and who have been told that they cannot. Her career is proof that they can, and that audiences will respond when they do.
Finally, I want to say something about the theatre in her image, the empty stage with a single spotlight, because it is a good image for her career. She started on a stage like that, as an actress, and she learned to fill it with her presence. Then she moved behind the camera, and she learned to fill a film with the same presence, but in a different way. The stage taught her about performance, about trust, and about the power of a single moment. Her films carry those lessons, and they show a director who understands both sides of the camera. That understanding is rare, and it is what makes her work so special.
I also think about the Venice Film Festival, where Babygirl premiered and where Nicole Kidman won Best Actress. Venice is one of the oldest and most prestigious film festivals in the world, and a premiere there is a sign that a film is taken seriously by the international film community. Reijn’s film was not just shown there. It was celebrated there, and it sparked conversations that continued long after the festival ended. That is a remarkable achievement for a director who made her first film only a few years earlier, and it shows how quickly she has risen in the film world.
Another thought that stays with me is about the way she handles fame as a director. She is now a known name in Hollywood, but she does not seek the spotlight for herself. She lets her films speak, and she talks about her work in a calm and thoughtful way. That humility is refreshing in a business where many directors want to be stars themselves. Reijn is content to be a director, and that contentment is part of what makes her work so good. She does not need applause for herself. She needs her films to be good, and that is enough.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where was Halina Reijn born and what did she study?
Halina Reijn was born on 10 November 1975 in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and she studied acting at the Maastricht Academy of Dramatic Arts before joining the leading Dutch theatre company Toneelgroep Amsterdam.
What was Halina Reijn’s first film as a director?
Her directorial debut was Instinct from 2019, a drama about a psychologist who works in a prison and becomes involved with a sex offender she is treating, which was selected as the Dutch entry for the Academy Awards.
What is Bodies Bodies Bodies about?
Bodies Bodies Bodies from 2022 is a horror comedy directed by Reijn about a group of young people at a house party where a party game goes wrong and people start to die, praised for its humour and sharp view of modern youth.
What is Babygirl about and who stars in it?
Babygirl from 2024 stars Nicole Kidman as a successful businesswoman who begins an affair with a younger intern, exploring power and desire, and Kidman won Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival for the role.
Did Halina Reijn act in Black Book?
Yes, she appeared in Black Book from 2006, directed by Paul Verhoeven, a major Dutch film set during the Second World War about a Jewish woman who joins the resistance.
Was Halina Reijn a stage actress before directing?
Yes, she spent many years as a leading actress with Toneelgroep Amsterdam, performing in classic and modern plays, which gave her a deep understanding of acting that later shaped her directing.
Is Halina Reijn still directing films?
Yes, she is now an international director in demand, working on new projects in Hollywood and Europe after the success of Instinct, Bodies Bodies Bodies, and Babygirl.
