Rachel: (asked how much she has in common with her "Days Of Our Lives" character, Chelsea) In the beginning, not much, but since I've been playing her, I've been maturing on my own. There are a lot of things I'm acquiring from her, like her independence and her rebellious thing. I got my ear cartridge pierced in Australia and I thought, "It totally works for Chelsea, Awesome!" Then I got my second holes done and put highlights in my hair. I can get funky and it works for her. I love my character.
Rachel: (on visiting Australia) It's not that different from America. It's similar, but it's still different in culture ways that make you feel, "Oh, this is better than America!" Then you come back here and think, "Thank God I'm American," but you can't wait to go again. I might have to move there one day.
Rachel: (on her Christmas tradition) My tradition is to buy a sad one (tree) that will be killed. It has to fulfil its Christmas destiny! My family usually goes to the movies on Christmas night and always opens a gift from my aunt and uncle on Christmas Eve.
Rachel: (her reaction to the Zach plot on DOOL, where she runs over him, killing him) As an actress, I was like, ‘Yes, more screen time!’, but it was actually very good for the whole show. In America, our ratings were low, and after that story, we were number one. It was a realistic storyline and it makes the audience think, ‘What would I do in that situation?’
Rachel: (on fans’ reactions to her DOOL character, Chelsea) When I started, people warned me I was going to get mail saying, ‘Oh, we hate you’, but everybody I’ve met or that’s written in has been like, ‘Chelsea’s so bad - we hate her but we love her’, and ‘She’s so much like Sami’, which is cool because I used to watch and Sami was one of my favourites. I feel honoured they’re shaping me after her.
Rachel: I understand that all my experiences make me more mature and have made me the person I am today. I’m not at the party stage like Chelsea, but I do like to open myself up to certain things, and I’m enjoying those things as I grow up.
Rachel: I tape everything I do every day and then go and watch it in my dressing room, and I’m really proud of the scenes where Chelsea realises what she did. The ones I’ve liked the best were when she pieces together that she was responsible for Zach’s death. She got paranoid and freaked out. There was an episode where she snapped at Max (Darin Brooks), then Bo came in and shook her. That was when I most felt I’d lived a scene. It was really special.
Rachel: I have been able to use a lot of my childhood experiences to help me play Chelsea. I remember when I first went to high school I stayed in front start to finish - that people were a little afraid to befriend me because they knew how often I moved.
Rachel: I haven’t been in too many relationships, which is a bit of the reverse of Chelsea! She’s one of a kind. I had one four-year relationship and one which lasted a year. I was very much in love with that second one. It didn’t work out in my favour, but I’ve learned that every time I experience pain in my life, there is an upside to it. I can use that in my work.
Rachel: (on Leonardo DiCaprio and Johnny Depp) They never do the same thing; they take on new challenges with every role and really showcase their talent. I also love the period pieces.
Rachel: (weird fan encounters) What story should I share? People would stare at me in high school and I’d think ‘Oh my God, I’m being trashed!’ I have to remember that I’m on TV. It’s still awkward because I don’t really know how to handle it yet. I don’t think of myself as being a soap star.
Rachel: I love getting my scripts every day to see what’s going to happen next. It was almost as if I was a viewer. I really get into it!
Rachel was born in Illinois but raised in Phoenix, Arizona. Her parents sacrificed a lot to make sure she got all the opportunities needed to become an actress. They even moved with her to LA after she graduated from high school, to ensure she was safe in the big city.
Rachel plays the violin.
Rachel lists Julia Roberts, Brittany Murphy, and Rachel McAdams among her favorite actresses.
Rachel moved to California after winning a $600 jackpot in a casino game of bingo; the last day she was able to gamble before Arizona State law changed the gambling age from 18 to 21.
Rachel studied at the Scott Sedita Studios in Hollywood.
Rachel was born in Elmhurst, Illinois, but raised in Phoenix, Arizona, and has an older sister Jessica.
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