Medford Native Featured In New MA-Filmed Holiday Movie ‘Spirited'

MEDFORD, MA — A Medford native is featured in the new Massachusetts-filmed holiday movie “Spirited,” a musical comedy adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol" featuring Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell.

Kim Niemi, a professional TV and film actress who was born and raised in Medford, plays the singing role of an 1800s pub waitress, giving her the chance to sing with Ryan Reynolds, who was cast as Clint Briggs.

In addition to her role in “Spirited,” Niemi was also cast by CP Casting as a townsperson in the Rhode Island-filmed, recently released feature “Hocus Pocus 2,” appearing alongside actor Tony Hale.

"A Medford-girl who never gave up on pursuing a career as an actress in Boston for over 3 decades – and successfully defeating a cancer diagnosis within that time – I could not be more grateful to find back-to-back success in two locally made hit films,” Niemi said in an email.

Niemi’s career in acting started in local professional musical theater and morphed into singing in local bands and being selected as a Boston finalist for the national TV audition show Nashville Star.

However, things took a turn for Niemi when she was diagnosed with endometrial cancer in 2013. After going through several years of treatment and recovery, she returned to acting in 2016 and is now in remission.

“You go through something like cancer and realize, 'I just came through hell, and why would I let anyone’s voices and opinions impact what I'm doing with my life? That’s when I reached out to Boston Casting and had an introduction workshop.”

Niemi is now focusing on film and TV within the New England industry, though she sees herself expanding her career to other areas. She said that if she has any advice for young actors and actresses, it is to keep going even when things get hard.

“Keep working at it, put yourself out there, and make the connections, but understand that it is a marathon not a sprint,” she said. "I do think that if I had known that earlier, maybe I would have stayed in it and success may have been closer than I realized. Make your own opportunities, don't wait for someone to hand it to you, and show people what you can do."

“Spirited” debuted in select theaters beginning on Nov. 11 and launched on AppleTV+ Friday. For more information, click here.