Rachel Whittle

Hi, folks, and welcome back to a new episode. Today's story is Rachel Whittle's story.

Rachel life might be the everlasting stunt she never saw coming. Yet it became the role she ended up playing best from a childhood diagnosis to the pursuit of a Hollywood dream. She invites us into her story and shares a piece of herself with the room, and perhaps somewhere between the memories and the lessons, she'll discover what everyone else can already see that she is a masterpiece.

So, Rachel, before acting entered your life, what was that period of your life like and what first drew you to acting?

All right, here we go. Third time is a charm. Before acting entered my life. My journey into acting is a bit unusual in that I didn't start until I was about thirty. When I was twenty nine, I got diagnosed with PTSD from a severe trauma that I went through as a child, and a friend of mine said, hey, you should try out this Meisner acting class. I think it would be really good for you on this emotional healing journey that you're on. And I was like, uh, okay, I guess I, I was open to anything at that point, but it was definitely nothing that had been on my radar. I think I did a play maybe when I was in college, took a, took a class just to see what it would be like, but it wasn't anything I aspired to do or be at that point, but I definitely wanted to pursue emotional healing. So I got into this class and it changed my life. It became a safe space for me to explore emotions that did not feel safe to explore in real life, and it helped me become a more well-rounded human. It gave me more perspective on the human experience. It opened up my my worldview and just my eyes to the the full spectrum of the human condition as I was able to explore characters and dive into these deep emotional places that just I could not do as myself in the real world. And I think that's why I haven't been able or seemingly allowed to give it up, because it's part of my journey. It's part of what keeps me grounded and human. I think because I have a tendency to wall up, I have a tendency to shrink away and not be present, at least not emotionally present in in life. And what's so fascinating about acting is, is you have to be open and vulnerable and fearless and courageous. And these are all the things that need constant work and constant reminding in my life to not live in this space of fear and insecurity. And I don't know if there's anything else in my life that would consistently bring me back to this place of having to let all of that go. And it's constant work. It's daily work. It feels like I forget daily. But acting reminds me, you can't do this well while being walled up. You can't do this well while being emotionally vacant and and disconnected. So that's what drew me to it. And that's what keeps me in it.

In one of your interviews, you spoke about a piece of advice known as the ten year rule. What exactly was that advice and why did it stay with you throughout the most challenging years of your career?

Ah, yes, the ten year rule. Well, as you can imagine, my husband was in a bit of a state of shock when I went to him six years into our marriage and said, I think I want to become an actor. Having had no inclination towards this pursuit previously. And he just said, oh, well, okay. And he called a friend of his that he knew in Hollywood and asking for advice. And that friend said, look, if you're going to pursue this, you have to give it ten years. Ten years before you consider that this pursuit has been unsuccessful. Which is wild. I mean, what a long game, right? And I'm telling you, I tried to give up many times over the last ten years or longer now. But, you know, three years in five years in, I'd be like, what am I doing with my life? And my husband would say, well, you can't give up yet. You've still got a couple of years until we reach the ten mark before you can give up and move on. And that was always so encouraging because man, it is. It's rough out there and it's so many ups and downs, and I would go to my dad quite often and be like, what am I doing with my life? And you know, you would think a father would look at his wrist watch and say, um, yeah, honey, I'm, uh, it's been a while. And, uh, maybe now is time to move on. I mean, you gave it the old college try. Let's try to do something else with your life. But he never did. He. He would look at me and say, do you feel like this is still your purpose? Do you feel like this is still what you're supposed to be doing? And I would, through gritted teeth and fisted hands, be like, oh, yes. And I don't know why I, you know, analyzing it. Over time, I realized that this is my journey because this is what keeps me grounded. This is what keeps me connected to my humanity with what gives me that full spectrum. But what's great is on my tenth year, I booked the most important job of my life. It was a story that was close to my heart that that paid my bills for a while, and that meant so much to me. And I went to him and we were both crying and he was like, see, this is why you did it. All those years of training and all those years of valleys were preparing you for this moment. And, you know, as an actor, we never stop growing and changing and getting better. And so I can look back now and see, you know, oh, I could have done that better. But still, at that point in my life, it was great work and it was what I was meant to be doing. And, um, to this day, if like my career kind of fizzles out and I move on to something else, it was worth it because of that one job. So my dad was right. My husband was right. And that friend in Hollywood was right. You really got to play the long game in this pursuit.

You eventually found yourself working on productions such as The Purge and Think About Pam. Did reaching those milestones changed the way you viewed your earlier struggles?

I really have had some incredible opportunities in my career. I've gotten to work opposite some phenomenal actors, and it's fascinating how quickly I can forget when we're in the midst of a slump in bookings. It's it's so easy to get, you know, short sighted and, and just wonder, why am I not at the next milestone? Why am I stuck here? And sometimes we just need to turn around and look at how far we've come. Look at where we were a year ago, three years ago, and let that gratitude infuse our path going forward. I'm certainly not aware of this when I'm in the midst of the struggle, but there is so much shaping and forming and character development that happens when we're in those valleys. And I don't know if the struggle ever really stops. Um, I wish I could say it did. I just, I think that we just have to expect highs and lows in this journey and, uh, and just enjoy the ride.

You have worked not only as an actor but also in production. Art department's assistant directing and producing What motivated you to embrace so many different roles within filmmaking, and what was that first experience like?

When I first started acting, as I said, it was just honestly a pursuit of therapy and emotional healing. And it really was that. And that could have been all that it became. And that would have been enough. But I, I got on set a few months in for like a, just a small role that I had booked. And I was enamored with the process of filmmaking. I immediately, I was like, oh, this is what I want to do. You know, I'd gone to college and graduated and I don't know, who knows? And then I got married and I had a kid and I was playing roller derby, but I really, I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. Like where, where I was supposed to head. I had no idea. And even like this idea of acting, I wasn't really sure what that was. But when I got on set and I saw this process, I was like, this is it. This is what I want to do. I was just so fascinated with, with the fact that it. It's such a collaboration. It takes a myriad of creative minds to work together towards a common goal. And that was just so brilliant to me. And the fact that it's so many creative minds, so many different departments have to come together and, and lend their expertise towards this one thing that will last forever. I just loved it. And in the beginning, I just started showing up. I would find out, you know, what independent project was going on here and there. And I would, I would show up and just serve the story. I was like, whatever you want me to do, I'll sweep, I'll, I'll pick up whatever the trash, I'll do anything. And that's how I started. And I just started to grow and learn. And I was a fast learner. And it didn't take long before I was working in multiple departments so that I could get a feel of every side of things. And I thought, you know, this could only help me in my acting journey, but really, I consider myself a filmmaker because I don't care if I'm what side of the camera I'm on. I want to be wherever I best serve the story. And so if that's as an assistant director or if that's as a key set, PA even I don't care. I just want to be a part of the process.

And how has working behind the camera changed the way you approach your performances as an actor?

I definitely think there's pros and cons here because as an assistant director, my brain has to be on everything. I have to be listening to everything and seeing everything and knowing everything, which when I'm in front of the camera, sometimes it's really hard to turn a de Rachel off. My brain is just hearing too much and seeing too much, and I should be focused only on the character. So there's definitely a con there. But I think the pro is that I understand a lot of the process. I know kind of what's expected of me before I'm told. I understand when they're swapping a lens, what that, you know, means for my performance. I understand camera moves. And so I just, I kind of have a good feel on, on what's going on around me. And so I can incorporate that into what's needed as the actor. But oftentimes, yeah, I'm having to struggle to stop listening and struggle to not know what what's going on around me and simply stay focused as the character. But one thing it's definitely helped with is making our own stuff. You know, I learned so many different departments that I was able to do all those things and produce my own films and pull together the right team to create something that we wanted to do ourselves. And two of my favorite features to date were ones that we did ourselves right here with our own little film community right here in Lafayette, Louisiana.

For projects like A Dangerous Flock and your independent film work, you have created opportunities rather than waiting for them. What have you learned about creative ownership and building your own path?

I think it's paramount for us to get out and make our own things. It's really hard if you're just waiting around to be booked. You know, it becomes lonely and sometimes few and far between. But if you can fill your time with making your own things, pulling together teams, serving other projects, then it becomes way more fulfilling. We have to find our way in, and sometimes it's a really long line at the front door. So we got to look for a side door. We got to get in somehow, and I'm always in awe of of how much creativity I see on social media. You know, it doesn't have to be some big cinematic project. We can be creative and in many different ways, you know, write, sing, act, pull together like little communities to just do fun things together. We got to find creative outlets outside of just booking because sometimes, you know, when we're in that valley, we got to have some things that carry us through. Now that I'm on the back end of two feature films, it was it's hard. It pre-pro was hard. Production. I just absolutely love. I love everything about production, but the post journey has been pretty intense. It's definitely not something I'm really good at managing all of that. But you know, it's it's been worth it. And I'm really proud of what we've been able to do. We've got two films that'll probably come out later this year, and I'm proud that my family was involved. You know, we did a rom com like a Christmas rom com that we shot at our family farm. We used our own family farm products. My husband was in it. My daughter was in it. My dog was in it. My community was in it. And it was so wonderful to work together like that. And then my favorite project to date is called Death Before Dawn, and it's like a action thriller horror kind of thing. And we shot that here too. And ninety percent of the cast and crew is local to our area. And I'm super proud of that. You know, I've spent the last ten years training actors and we've, we've all worked together to build a really great community here. And we have so many incredible, incredibly talented creatives. And so we were able to make a really great thing. I'm super excited to show the world.

When you think about the what excites you the most about the next chapter of your creative journey?

What excites me about the future. Um, and you know, my, my word for the year was courage. And gosh, it is uncanny how many opportunities have arisen that have challenged me to do just that, to step out of fear and to be courageous. And so I hope my future contains more opportunities for that, for me to just step outside of myself to, to just continue to trust that I'm enough and, and to, yeah, to not walk in fear and insecurity because that's, that's the constant struggle where I'm at. But I also hope we get to make more things. We've got, we've got a fun series that we're developing. We've got some commercial work. We've got, uh, a rom com and a documentary set down here in the swamps of Acadiana. So we've got a lot of things in mind and at play. Um, but, you know, I think one of my biggest wishes for the future is that I get to do more stunts. I just booked this incredible gig where I was an actor who does their own stunts, and I was opposite Viola Davis, and it was mind blowing. It was so much fun. Um, I, you know, I used to play roller derby. It was a huge part of my life. I'm, I've always been athletic and extremely aggressive and physical and, and so roller derby saved my soul way back in my twenties. And I was one of the top three jammers across the southern floor states. I was asked to be on a national team. And then right before I went to play for this national team, I tore my ACL. And that was right about when my, you know, my acting career was picking up. So it worked out. But going into acting, I just always said, well, I'm I'm an actor who's not afraid to hit the ground. And so doing stunts has always been a highlight of, of, of any acting role that I get. If it includes that, I love it. Um, so yeah, I hope, I hope, uh, I hope I get to do more stunts in the future. Yeah.

If you could give one piece of advice to the new generation trying to build a career, find representation and make their way in the industry, what would you tell them that you wish someone had told you?

Aside from the obvious things like training and whatnot, I think my advice would be to truly, truly, truly believe that you are enough. You are enough. The other thing would be networking. I think I made a big mistake in my career, being too afraid to come across as desperate, and so not capitalizing on relationships that I was building and networking. You know, it's human nature for us to want to work with people that we know, people that we trust, people that we've had good experiences with in the past. So once you've developed a relationship, stay warm in their mind. Keep, keep, you know, reaching out, stay present and build those communities and those relationships because it takes people. So walk forward with grace and confidence. Let go of fear and just know that you are enough. It's not ego. Don't ever be cocky. But that grace and that confidence that you are enough and you have what it takes.

There is something that I absolutely love to do is to wish the best to someone. So Rachel, what does the best look like for you?

What does the best look like for me? Being creative with the people that I love. That's. That's the best collaboration. Community. Working together. All this creative energy going towards a common goal. And that's what I love about filmmaking. It's the best.

Thank you Rachel. I really enjoyed this conversation. Um, it is now time to leave the room, but is there anything you'd like to say before stepping out?

I just want to say that this has been such a cool experience. I, I think this platform is brilliant and I'm super excited to see where you take this. And I love hearing the heart of, of creatives and being encouraged by their journey, their successes and their struggles. So thank you for, for including me in this, but also thank you for such thoughtful, heartfelt questions and for giving us a platform and amplifying our voice because, gosh, I know that I need to hear, I need to hear about the journey of other creatives so that I can, it can help me stay on my path.