INTERVIEW: B&B's Reign Edwards on sassy parents, sex scenes and surrogacy

The Bold and the Beautiful's Reign Edwards (Nicole Avant) talks with soapcentral.com about the crazy twists ahead for both her alter ego and herself.

Reign Edwards (Nicole Avant) was thrown gigantic proportions of drama straight out of the gate at The Bold and the Beautiful, ultimately being the one who let slip that Nicole's on-screen sister, Maya (Karla Mosley), was born a man. And the drama hasn't stopped since, with the latest twist being that the young model may be a surrogate mother for Maya and Rick (Jacob Young). Soap Central caught up with the actress to find out her thoughts on the wild story as well as how joining the world's most watched soap opera has changed the 18-year-old's life.

soapcentral.com: Hi Reign, I hope you're doing well! Are you at work today, or is it one of your days off?

Reign Edwards: It's my day off. I actually just got back from the gym.

soapcentral.com: That's not really a day off to me! But I guess you have to go because you never know when you're going to be called to do a love scene or strut around in a bikini.Edwards: It's nice to be prepared. But you know, I just like fitness. I like working out. So it's nice for me.

soapcentral.com: What kind of stuff do you normally do at the gym?Edwards: I try to work everything out, but I love doing squats and things for my core. There are different ways of getting your exercise in for sure. For me, the gym is like a jungle gym, so I love going there. But when it comes to working out like on a track, I can't stand it. So it depends on what you like doing. Like, unless it comes to sports, that's the only thing I like doing outside. Other than that, I like working inside in the gym.

soapcentral.com: The holidays are coming up, and there are so many temptations when it comes to food and treats. How do you hold yourself back? Or do you even try?Edwards: I love food, so it's not super easy to resist. But at the same time, I think it comes down to being able to balance it all out. You can have the sweets as long as you balance it out with your exercise and making sure you're not taking in too much during any given day. So I think what's really helped me out a lot is learning how to read nutrition labels. Once you learn how to read nutritional labels and learn how it aligns with your goals, [it's easier]. You don't really have cheat days. You just take in what you want that day and know that it's not really going to affect you as long as you do your other parts.

soapcentral.com: Do you have any holiday plans set yet? Will you be traveling?Edwards: We're trying to figure out where we want to go right now. My mom and my sisters want to travel. We don't know where to yet, but I know time is running out! We've been talking about it for days, and we need to make a decision, but we don't know yet.

soapcentral.com: I'm glad you mentioned your sisters because you seem so close to them, at least from what I can tell on social media. Is your relationship with them similar to Nicole's relationship with Maya?Edwards: Yeah. My little sister is glued to my hip! The older sister is on her own doing her own thing now, but we still stay in touch -- obviously. But, yeah, family is very important to me, so I try to look out for my sisters and everything.

soapcentral.com: If one of them were to ask you to be a surrogate mother for her baby, would you consider it?Edwards: [laughs] Wow. I don't know. It's a really big thing to do, and it also depends where you're at in your life. Right now, I feel like I'm the type of person who would get really attached, so I think if I wanted to help out in that way, I'd probably just donate. But it's a very big thing, and anyone who does it, man, oh man, props to them.

soapcentral.com: What did you think of the storyline and the decision Nicole had to make?Edwards: I was really excited because I knew it would bring a lot of juicy stuff. And I'm thankful that they trusted me with this storyline. They keep giving me great stuff, and I'm just really happy and grateful that I get to play it. It's challenging, and I always love a good challenge.

soapcentral.com: If they take the storyline all the way, you'll have to do the whole pregnancy thing -- big belly and all!Edwards: I've thought about that, and I'm such a goofball that I'd probably go around hitting everyone with my pregnancy belly if they gave it to me! But yeah, it's a crazy storyline, and it will be if it goes that way, and it will be if it doesn't go that way. So I'm really excited.

soapcentral.com: Nicole made the decision to go through with it, but do you think she even knows what she's getting into? Is she emotionally ready?Edwards:: Well, if Nicole were to go through with it, it's her first child. It's her first time ever going through any type of pregnancy, anything remotely similar. It's her first time. So obviously, she can't know exactly what she's getting herself into. All she's really seeing is that it's an incredible gift she can give to her sister, and that's what really captures her attention about the whole thing. Her sister has done so much for her, and Nicole wants to return the favor. Pregnancy isn't really a favor, but she's thinking of it as, "I can give this gift to my sister, and it's the biggest thank you back." And as you can see from what's aired, Nicole has been going through a lot, and it's been a big battle for her. She has Zende [Rome Flynn], and she has her sister, and she loves both of them, and she wants to please both of them, but it's a really big struggle.

soapcentral.com: And then her parents, Julius (Obba Babatund, ex-Carter Campbell, The Young and the Restless) and Vivienne (Anna Maria Horsford), have moved to town, which has made everything worse!Edwards: Yeah, and [Julius] is really going for it with Zende. That was really fun when I read that in the script. I was like, "Jeez, he's going for it. He's just going in!"

soapcentral.com: Speaking of parents, what did you think about the show making the choice to have Nicole and Maya's parents move to Los Angeles and get more involved in the storylines?Edwards: Oh, I was so excited. I was really excited. First off, who they are is freaking awesome. They've done tons of stuff and have tons of experience. So for them to have that and then also be humble and great people is amazing. So working with them when they first came was a blast, and then to find out that they've come back and moved to L.A., I was really happy. The scenes that we've had together have been so good, and working with Obba and Anna, it's like an acting lesson with them every time you appear in a scene with them. So it's really a privilege and a blessing to work with them. I was really happy.

soapcentral.com: Were you familiar with either one of them before they came to the show?Edwards: Yes! I saw Anna on [The Wayans Bros.], so I was like, "Oh, my God!" And then I had seen Obba in a bunch of things. He's been in so much, but I especially remembered him in John Q.

soapcentral.com: Maya and Nicole's parents seem like they want the best for their girls, but they're just so hands-on and opinionated. Is that something you're used to, or were your parents more laid back than that?Edwards: My mom is here, and now she's looking at me! [laughs] No, I live in a single [parent] home, and my mom has been protective of me. It's been a blessing, but I'm going to be 19 in a month, and she really has the last few years been letting me discover things for myself. Even though it's hard, she's been letting me find myself and go out and be independent.

soapcentral.com: What does your mom think about the storyline you've been given? Is she pretty chill about it?Edwards: [laughs] My mom is really excited, too. It's so funny because I literally sit, if I'm not keeping myself busy, I'm sitting and looking at my phone, waiting for the scripts to come in to my email. And we both are like, "Oh, my gosh, I can't believe this is happening! Oh, my gosh, now this?!" It's a fun journey with my mom, to have her here. She comes to set with me, and she's just really excited, as well.

soapcentral.com: Was she nervous about letting you go into show business?Edwards: Were you, mom? No, she says no! And now she's laughing, but I don't know why.

soapcentral.com: I find it pretty entertaining that it's not just Nicole's parents who are weighing on this surrogacy thing. Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) and Eric (John McCook) also have a lot to say about the situation. How does Nicole react to all the pressure?Edwards: I think in the next few episodes, you're really going to see how it's all coming down on her. Everybody has an opinion about this, and she wants everyone to be okay.

soapcentral.com: You have to kind of feel bad for Zende because no matter how supportive he was in the beginning, he will have to watch the girl that he loves carry another man's baby. And that can't be easy no matter the situation.Edwards: Nicole is definitely worried about that. It's definitely on her mind. She loves him. They confessed that they love each other, and it's very difficult for her. There was an episode where she said, "I know this is going to be hard for you, and I'm so sorry that this is so hard on you. But I'm hoping you'll stick by me." So that is definitely something that is on that girl's mind.

soapcentral.com: If you could take control of the writing room, what would you write regarding the storyline?Edwards: Oh, wow. I don't know! There's so much that could happen, so I don't know what to choose! There are so many possibilities, so I don't really know. They go in, that's for sure.

soapcentral.com: You recently tweeted something that was really interesting. You said, "Lessons may not always be painless, but they leave you with more knowledge than you had before." Did you come up with that on your own?Edwards: That's something I came up with on my own. In life, you're always going to have lessons. You're always continuously learning. And your lessons may not always be painless. Sometimes they're hard to learn, but they always leave you with more knowledge, and they better you in the end.

soapcentral.com: Are there any big but not so easy lessons you've learned in the last couple years?Edwards: Just in my life, I've learned to never let anyone make you feel less than who you are. So that's just been my biggest life lesson. And there's another tweet that I posted that says being humble doesn't mean you're not allowed to know your worth. So I think it's okay to be confident, and that's something I've learned for myself, confidence and whatnot.

soapcentral.com: Now that you've been on the show for a while, have you noticed it change your life in any way?Edwards: Oh, definitely! It's so different. Just in social media alone, people are like, "Oh, my gosh, I love Nicole!" And people give a lot of feedback and well wishes, which is very humbling and heartwarming. And then sometimes I go out, and people are like, "Wait a minute, are you Nicole?!" And they talk about how they enjoy the show so much and how they're dedicated to it, and that's just warming in and of itself, to know that I can help make someone's day just by doing something that I love.

soapcentral.com: Do you have an overall vision for you career? An idea of what you'd like for the future?Edwards: Yeah. Well hopefully in the near future there's an Emmy in my prospects! But after that, I love doing what I do,` and I hope that I get an Emmy one day. And I love music, so I hope to get a Grammy, too. And then I'd love to do feature films and go back and forth between films and TV shows. I like to dream big. Dream big or go home!

soapcentral.com: Okay, so you mentioned the Emmy. Does that mean you already have or you're hoping to submit this year?Edwards: Yes.

soapcentral.com: Great! Have you already chosen what you're submitting?Edwards: It's a process! It's hard [to choose material], and I'm glad I have the help of B&B. So we'll see.

soapcentral.com: Okay, and then what about talk of a Grammy? Are you currently working on music?Edwards: Yeah, I work on song writing, and I play the piano and the guitar a little bit. I also dance. Music is something I'm really passionate about. But I love acting as well.

soapcentral.com: Do you have any material out there that fans can listen to?Edwards: I have a YouTube channel, but I really need to update it. I've been so busy with the show, but you never know.

soapcentral.com: Would you ever sing on the show if they gave you the chance?Edwards: You never know! I would [love it], but you never know.

Do you think it's a good idea for Nicole to be a surrogate for Maya and Rick's baby? Or do you think she's making a huge mistake? Would you be a surrogate parent for the child of your sibling? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below, on our message boards, or by submitting Feedback.To stay up-to-date on the latest soap news, be sure to like us on Facebook and follow @soapcentral on Twitter.