In the 2018 romantic fantasy film Every Day, Australian actress Angourie Rice plays Rhiannon, a sixteen-year-old high school student who falls in love with "A," a mysterious spirit who wakes up in a different body every single day. Rice's performance serves as the emotional foundation of the movie, anchoring a complex story about love beyond physical appearance.
The Concept of Every Day: Who Is "A" and How Does Rhiannon Fit In?
Based on David Levithan’s 2012 best-selling young adult novel, Every Day presents a unique fantasy premise grounded in emotional realism. The protagonist spirit, known simply as "A," has lived a lifetime waking up every 24 hours in a different 16-year-old's body. "A" does not choose whose body they inhabit, but the host is always the same age, located within a geographic radius of roughly 100 miles, and returned safely to their own control at midnight without permanent harm.
For most of their existence, A lived by strict personal rules: never get too attached, never interfere deeply in the host's life, and leave no trace behind. These rules exist to protect both A’s emotional wellbeing and the host's normal life trajectory. However, these guidelines break down entirely when A wakes up in the body of Justin, a distant and self-absorbed teenager played by Justice Smith.
Justin happens to be Rhiannon’s boyfriend. During that single day, A—acting through Justin's body—treats Rhiannon with unexpected warmth, attentiveness, and empathy, taking her on a spontaneous trip to the beach where they bond deeply. When Justin reverts to his usual distant self the following day, Rhiannon is left confused by the sudden shift in personality.
Rhiannon’s journey begins as A seeks her out over subsequent days in different bodies—ranging across different genders, races, physical abilities, and social backgrounds. As A reaches out through Instagram, email, and secret rendezvous, Rhiannon must grapple with a extraordinary reality: the person she felt a profound connection with does not have a single face, gender, or permanent body.
Angourie Rice’s Portrayal of Rhiannon: The Anchor of the Film
Playing opposite a constantly shifting lineup of actors is one of the most demanding technical challenges a lead actor can face. Because "A" is portrayed by over a dozen different performers throughout the film, Angourie Rice serves as the primary visual and emotional constant for the audience.
| Feature | Angourie Rice in "Every Day" (2018) |
|---|---|
| Role | Rhiannon (Lead Protagonist) |
| Director | Michael Sucsy |
| Screenplay | Jesse Andrews (based on David Levithan's novel) |
| Supporting Performers | Justice Smith, Lucas Jade Zumann, Owen Teague, Jacob Batalon, Ian Alexander, Colin Ford, Debby Ryan, Maria Bello |
| Key Acting Task | Maintaining emotional continuity across a rotating cast |
The Challenge of Emotional Continuity
In traditional screen acting, chemistry is built between two leads over the course of weeks or months of rehearsal and filming. In Every Day, Rice was required to establish and maintain convincing romantic chemistry with multiple co-stars, including:
- Justice Smith (as Justin / A)
- Lucas Jade Zumann (as Nathan / A)
- Jacob Batalon (as James / A)
- Ian Alexander (as Vic / A)
- Colin Ford (as Xavier / A)
- Owen Teague (as Alexander / A)
To make the central romance believable, Rice had to react to the spirit of A rather than the physical attributes of the actor standing in front of her. Her performance relies heavily on expressive eye contact, subtle hesitations, and a warm vulnerability that signals to the audience that Rhiannon recognizes A's soul inside whichever host body they occupy.
Grounding Fantasy in Adolescent Reality
While the premise of Every Day is supernatural, Rhiannon's character arc is deeply grounded in typical teenage struggles. At the start of the film, Rhiannon is quiet, conflict-averse, and trapped in an unfulfilling relationship with Justin because she fears being alone or causing friction. Her home life is similarly tense, marked by her family's struggle to cope with her father's recent emotional breakdown.
Rice plays Rhiannon not as a superhero or a high-concept heroine, but as an everyday teen navigating complex emotional terrain. Her realistic portrayal allows viewers to empathzise with the practical frustrations of falling in love with someone who cannot offer a stable, physical presence.
Key Plot Points and Character Arc Explained
To fully understand Angourie Rice’s role in Every Day, it is helpful to trace Rhiannon’s progression throughout the narrative.
1. Discovery and Skepticism
When A first reaches out to Rhiannon after the day spent in Justin's body, she is understandably skeptical. A contacts her under different guises, eventually arranging a meeting in a park while inhabiting a teenage girl named Megan. When A reveals secret details about their conversation at the beach—details only "Justin" could have known—Rhiannon is forced to accept that something supernatural is occurring.
Rice captures the awkwardness and cognitive dissonance of this phase. Rhiannon is attracted to A's mind and soul, yet confused by the physical realities of speaking to a completely different person each day.
2. The Fantasy of "Pure Love"
As the relationship develops, Rhiannon experiences a sense of liberation. Liberated from surface-level judgments about appearance, popularity, or gender, she connects with A on an intellectual and spiritual level. They spend days together dancing, talking, and sharing intimate thoughts.
During this middle section of the film, Rice depicts Rhiannon’s growing confidence. She breaks up with Justin, recognizing that she deserves genuine care and emotional reciprocity rather than passive neglect.
Rhiannon's Evolution in "Every Day"
- Trapped in Neglectful Relationship (With Justin)
- Discovery of Spirit "A" (Experiencing Love Beyond Form)
- Confronting Practical Realities (Recognizing Long-Term Limitations)
- Personal Autonomy & Mature Grace (Choosing Self-Growth & Boundaries)
3. The Onset of Physical and Practical Limitations
As the honeymoon period wears off, the practical impossibilities of their relationship become undeniable. Rhiannon cannot take A to homecoming, introduce A to her parents, or plan a future together. Every midnight reset wipes away the physical identity of the person she spent the day with.
Furthermore, A's presence in other teens' lives begins to cause collateral damage. When A inhabits a teenager named Nathan (Lucas Jade Zumann) and stays out past curfew to be with Rhiannon, Nathan is left stranded on the side of the highway at midnight. Nathan becomes convinced he was possessed by a demon, sparking a news story that threatens to expose A and disrupt innocent lives.
Rice conveys Rhiannon's increasing realization that keeping A tethered to her single life is unfair to both of them, as well as to the daily host bodies A inhabits.
4. The Resolution: Love, Self-Worth, and Letting Go
The climax of the story occurs when A inhabits Alexander (Owen Teague), a kind, artistic boy who lives nearby and shares many of A’s gentle qualities. Realizing that a long-term relationship between a human and a body-hopping entity is unsustainable, A decides to make a selfless choice.
A introduces Rhiannon to Alexander, hoping that after A moves on, Rhiannon might find genuine, grounded happiness with someone who is physically present in her everyday world. The film ends not with a magical solution that turns A into a permanent human, but with a mature acceptance of boundaries. Rhiannon chooses her own path forward, enriched by the depth of love she experienced with A.
Thematic Depth Explored in the Film
Through Angourie Rice's performance and the central dynamic with A, Every Day addresses several key thematic questions.
Love vs. Physical Appearance
The core thesis of Every Day is that true romantic connection stems from soul, character, and shared understanding rather than physical appearance. By having Rhiannon interact with A across diverse host bodies—male, female, non-binary, athletic, overweight, introverted, and extroverted—the narrative tests whether love can exist independently of physical form.
Rice’s acting choices emphasize this theme: when looking into the eyes of different co-stars, her character searches for and recognizes the same internal spirit, highlighting empathy over superficial aesthetics.
Identity and Fluidity
The film offers a broad exploration of gender and identity. Because A experiences life in male, female, and non-binary bodies daily, A exists beyond standard demographic categories. Rhiannon's willingness to love A across these forms highlights an open-minded approach to affection and human connection that resonated strongly with contemporary young audiences.
Autonomy and Boundaries in Relationships
A critical lesson Rhiannon learns is that love alone is not always enough to sustain a relationship if it requires compromising one’s basic needs for stability, growth, and community. Rhiannon ultimately realizes she cannot build a future with a partner who disappears every midnight. Recognizing these limits is a sign of personal maturity rather than a lack of love.
Comparison: Book vs. Film Focus on Rhiannon
While the 2018 film adaptation remains faithful to the spirit of David Levithan’s novel, key structural shifts were made to center the narrative around Rhiannon.
| Narrative Feature | David Levithan's 2012 Novel | 2018 Film Adaptation (Every Day) |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Point of View | First-person perspective from "A" | Centered heavily on Rhiannon (Angourie Rice) |
| Character Focus | Deep internal monologues about host lives | Visual emphasis on Rhiannon's reaction and growth |
| Tone | Philosophical, introspective, melancholic | Romantic drama with coming-of-age arc |
| Rhiannon's Background | Detailed home life and friend dynamics | Streamlined home life focused on family healing |
| Climax Focus | A's moral dilemma regarding host ethics | Rhiannon's emotional acceptance and autonomy |
By shifting the camera's focus onto Rhiannon, director Michael Sucsy relied heavily on Angourie Rice to guide the audience through the story's emotional progression.
Angourie Rice’s Career Trajectory and the Impact of Every Day
When Every Day premiered in early 2018, Angourie Rice was already recognized as one of the film industry’s most promising young talents. The Melbourne-born actress gained widespread critical praise for her breakout role as Holly March opposite Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe in Shane Black’s 2016 action-comedy The Nice Guys.
Her performance in Every Day marked a significant milestone: it was her first major starring role carrying a North American feature film.
Key Milestones in Angourie Rice's Early Career
- 2016: "The Nice Guys"
- Breakout role as Holly March opposite Ryan Gosling
- 2017: "Spider-Man: Homecoming"
- Cast as Betty Brant in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
- 2018: "Every Day"
- First leading role carrying a feature romantic drama
- 2021: "Mare of Easttown"
- Co-starred as Siobhan Sheehan alongside Kate Winslet
- 2024: "Mean Girls" (Musical Film)
- Starred as Cady Heron in the screen adaptation
Demonstrating her versatility across genres, Rice subsequently starred in high-profile projects including HBO's critically acclaimed miniseries Mare of Easttown (2021), the Marvel Cinematic Universe Spider-Man trilogy as Betty Brant, and the 2024 musical movie adaptation of Mean Girls as Cady Heron.
Critical commentary on Every Day frequently highlighted Rice's ability to elevate the material. Film critics noted that her naturalistic acting prevented the high-concept fantasy premise from feeling overly melodramatic or superficial.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens at the end of Every Day between Rhiannon and A?
At the end of the film, A and Rhiannon realize that a permanent romantic relationship is impossible because A will continue shifting bodies every midnight. A chooses to spend one final peaceful day with Rhiannon in the body of Alexander, a kind student living nearby. A introduces Alexander to Rhiannon so she can have a real connection in her physical world, and A departs at midnight to continue living their unique path without disrupting host lives.
Why does A wake up in a different body every day?
The film and novel treat A’s condition as an unexplained phenomenon of nature rather than a magic curse to be broken. A has lived this way since birth, waking up every 24 hours in a different 16-year-old body located within roughly 100 miles of the previous host.
Who plays "A" in the movie Every Day?
Because A inhabits a new host every 24 hours, the character is played by over 15 different actors throughout the film. Notable actors portraying A include Justice Smith, Lucas Jade Zumann, Jacob Batalon, Ian Alexander, Colin Ford, and Owen Teague.
How old was Angourie Rice when she filmed Every Day?
Angourie Rice was born in January 2001. Filming for Every Day took place in mid-2017 in Toronto, Ontario, when Rice was 16 years old—matching the age of her character, Rhiannon.
Is Every Day based on a book?
Yes, Every Day is based on the 2012 young adult fantasy novel of the same name written by David Levithan. The novel was followed by companion books, including Another Day (which retells the story from Rhiannon’s point of view) and Someday.
Summary and Practical Viewing Perspective
Angourie Rice’s work in Every Day demonstrates how grounded acting can make an abstract fantasy premise emotionally resonant. By playing Rhiannon with quiet strength, warmth, and realistic teen anxiety, Rice provides the essential anchor for a story about seeing past physical form to connect with character and soul.
For viewers interested in character-driven romance, coming-of-age storytelling, or Angourie Rice's broader filmography, Every Day remains a key showcase of her talent as a leading dramatic actress.
