Cassi Thomson's Definitely a Feminist

As with any drama about the lives of teenagers, ABC Family's Switched at Birth tends to be somewhat of a revolving door of love interests — and unfortunately, that means some really intriguing characters don't end up sticking around very long. One of my favorites? Cassi Thomson, the 21-year old Australian-born actress who played Nikki Papagus, the beautiful Christian musician who knocked Toby (Lucas Grabeel) off his feet when they met back in the show's first season.

Although Thomson's Switched at Birth days are behind her, she hasn't let her strong relationship with her former cast members fall to the wayside. Recently, I chatted with Thomson about her experiences on the Switched at Birth set, and she has nothing but happy memories. So does this mean Nikki's going to make a reappearance? It would be awesome to see her come home from her latest mission trip for good and try to make things work again with Toby, not necessarily because their relationship was functional (it totally wasn't) but because it's hard to deny the characters were absolutely adorable together. Right now, nothing is in the works, but Thomson definitely isn't opposed.

"I would go back if they called and wanted me," Thomson explains.

It's not like she's waiting by the phone, though. Thomson's hitting the big screen this time around in her role as Chloe Steele in Left Behind. And in case you aren't already a fan of the book series that sparked the movie, let me catch you up. Left Behind, also starring Nicolas Cage and Chad Michael Murray, is about a group of survivors after an apocalyptic event hits the earth as they struggle to make sense of what has happened — and find out if their loved ones have lived or died. And when it comes to her latest role? Her decision to play Chloe had a lot to do with her feminist beliefs, especially when it means creating "equal opportunities for women."

"After reading the script for Left Behind, I immediately realized Chloe was a very strong female character, and those are hard to come by," Thomson says. "That was one of the big reasons that I was drawn to the movie because it was such a great opportunity to play such a strong woman."

You certainly won't hear me complaining. We need all the strong female characters we can get at the movies. And on TV. And, you know, in real life. If Thomson's willing to keep working to bring those women to life, I'm watching.

Left Behind hits theaters Oct. 3.

Image: Sami Drasin