A Note From Rachel
As you will notice in my filmography most of my work was done in the horror genre. Most of which included me dying in increasingly painful and terrifying ways. Let's see...drowned in real ice water, intestines eaten by zombies, shot with an arrow then speared through the chest, and munched on by a huge monster. You'll have to check them out to see which one is which! Any day where I can get bloody and scream my head off is a good day.
Along with my horror films I have also shot a few short films. "Enigma," a sci-fi short, has been circulating the festival circuit and has racked up over 20 awards. One of my favorite roles was in "Love, Faith, and a Gun." It was a film noir style piece in which a police detective was searching for the girl he loved who had disappeared. He was in such pain that he created an idealized version of her inside his head. I, of course, was that girl. I was the manifestation of all his evil thoughts and impulses. She was very dark and twisty, and so much fun to play.
I'm a big fan of dark and twisty. There is something so freeing about playing a character who is slightly off in some way. In real life I am a pretty well adjusted, light hearted person. So I enjoy portraying characters who are the complete opposite of that. My favorite actor of all time is Gary Oldman. He chooses the most amazing roles and is completely different in every film he does. He is an amazing actor and I would give anything to be the female version of him.
I think the most important lesson I have learned while in Los Angeles has been to keep positive and look towards the future. If anyone reading this is one of the thousands of struggling actors in LA, my message to you is too keep your head up and don't let anyone discourage you from your dream. If you are thinking of making the big leap and coming to this great city, do it! What have you got to lose? The people who tell you you can't do it and that you are crazy to think that you could, are just jealous that they don't have a dream of their own. Or, they are simply too frightened to go after it. It's been said that you have to be crazy in order to want to be an actor. I think it's even more crazy to have a passion for something and not go after it because you are afraid of failing. If you fail, so what? At least you went after it, which is more than can be said for most people. I've always considered myself very lucky that I have always known what I wanted to do. If you are truly an actor it's in your brain and in your blood, it's who you are. I am an actress to the core. An attention seeking, validation needing, ego maniac. But in a good way:)
Along with my horror films I have also shot a few short films. "Enigma," a sci-fi short, has been circulating the festival circuit and has racked up over 20 awards. One of my favorite roles was in "Love, Faith, and a Gun." It was a film noir style piece in which a police detective was searching for the girl he loved who had disappeared. He was in such pain that he created an idealized version of her inside his head. I, of course, was that girl. I was the manifestation of all his evil thoughts and impulses. She was very dark and twisty, and so much fun to play.
I'm a big fan of dark and twisty. There is something so freeing about playing a character who is slightly off in some way. In real life I am a pretty well adjusted, light hearted person. So I enjoy portraying characters who are the complete opposite of that. My favorite actor of all time is Gary Oldman. He chooses the most amazing roles and is completely different in every film he does. He is an amazing actor and I would give anything to be the female version of him.
I think the most important lesson I have learned while in Los Angeles has been to keep positive and look towards the future. If anyone reading this is one of the thousands of struggling actors in LA, my message to you is too keep your head up and don't let anyone discourage you from your dream. If you are thinking of making the big leap and coming to this great city, do it! What have you got to lose? The people who tell you you can't do it and that you are crazy to think that you could, are just jealous that they don't have a dream of their own. Or, they are simply too frightened to go after it. It's been said that you have to be crazy in order to want to be an actor. I think it's even more crazy to have a passion for something and not go after it because you are afraid of failing. If you fail, so what? At least you went after it, which is more than can be said for most people. I've always considered myself very lucky that I have always known what I wanted to do. If you are truly an actor it's in your brain and in your blood, it's who you are. I am an actress to the core. An attention seeking, validation needing, ego maniac. But in a good way:)
