Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachael Wotherspoon.
Rachael, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born in New Zealand, and we were lucky enough to live close to beautiful bushland and water, so my siblings and I were often outdoors exploring, running wild! Anytime we weren’t we were putting on our own little plays, I began doing the same with my school friends, and it quickly became my favorite thing to do.
Even as a child I always had dozens of stories in my mind, I’d act them out in the backyard for hours, write them down in notebooks – complete with soundtrack selections (of course) and I also had a knack for accents so at parties I’d often end up trying to make people laugh by doing different accents or impersonations.
My mid-late teens marked the beginning of a somewhat difficult period; I was bullied, resulting in me becoming painfully shy for a long time. During this time I also lost two of the most important people in the world to me and experienced some massive transitions in family life; my focus shifted from going after what I loved to looking after the people I loved.
I took time away from Acting and began working and studying Web Development, I was financially independent – which is important to me, but I could never get my mind off what I really wanted to do. My love for acting and storytelling only grew as I did and from around age 18, I started saving to put myself through acting classes, pay for professional photos and soak up everything I could about this art form. Around that time I was lucky enough to have some incredibly positive influences in my life, and without them, I probably wouldn’t be where I am right now.
Fast-forward to today, and I’ve been living in Los Angeles for the past three years – acting, writing, producing, studying under acclaimed coaches including Larry Moss and Joseph Pearlman and at the Groundlings Theatre & School. I’ve assisted fellow filmmaker friends on their work, written and produced two of my own projects; one of which took out ‘Best Web Series’ at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards and my next independent project in the pipeline is a new film, lined up to shoot later this year.
I decided the second we touched down in LA that I’d be giving this opportunity everything I had and I’ve stayed true to that. When I started out I also never had any qualms taking on work I wasn’t gaining any monetary value from if I believed in the project. Experience is invaluable and getting to do what I love makes me so grateful.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been an interesting road! But I will say I’m thankful for every single struggle I’ve encountered along the way. One of my biggest challenges to date was re-gaining my confidence after being bullied. I’d turn up to class when I first got back into it a nervous wreck; sweaty palms, shaking hands, a tiny voice – it was awful and I could hardly get the words out, despite knowing my lines perfectly.
But I knew I had to overcome it and eventually I did – I tried to put things into perspective, I pushed myself hard, and I kept showing up. Two of my acting inspirations as a kid were (and still are) Robin Williams and Eddie Murphy, I’d think of how funny and brilliant they were and try to embody their energy and their confidence, it inspired me.
Another struggle I encountered has been the uncertainty; the uncertainty around where my next paycheck is coming from, whether I’m doing a good enough job, whether I’m working enough or whether I’m progressing in class. The uncertainty of working in the Arts or being an entrepreneur could eat you alive if you let it.
This impacts me on both a personal level and a wider level because I think uncertainty can discourage and derail people; brilliant, strong, talented people and that’s a tough thing to witness, I try to always help if I see someone else going through that.
Over time I realized that giving my energy to thinking about the uncertainty was ultimately just going to make it a bigger aspect of my life. So I try to focus on the things I can control; I give every opportunity 100% and keep busy in the quiet times; I read, work, spend most weekends outdoors, do charity work and give energy to what I love.
It’s easier said than done, I don’t know if it’s THE answer, but it’s something I’m working on, and I think it’s helping.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
I’m an Actor who has recently also started writing and producing my own work. I’ve worked in Film, Television, Commercials, Web Series’, Music Videos and Improv.
One of the things I’m proud of in my career to date, is that I arrived in Hollywood with no connections, having never produced in my life and in the first year I wrote, produced, acted in and edited an award-winning web series, bringing together an incredibly talented cast and crew who absolutely kicked butt. Many of us have worked together again, and I was also lucky enough to meet a mentor during this time! I’m so proud of what we created and what we each continue to create.
I believe what sets my work apart from others is my style and unique voice; I’m an old soul, I love old music, films and design particularly from the fifties, sixties and seventies – so this definitely influences the aesthetic of my work. I guess I’m also still working through some aspects of loss, so this always finds it’s way into my work, not always somber way, but hopefully in a relatable way.
Being from New Zealand – a small but mighty and vibrant country at the bottom of the world undoubtedly brings something unique to my work. My upbringing was far from Hollywood in every way, and to me, that’s neither good nor bad, but it’s these factors that give us all our uniqueness isn’t it; the result of having lived the life we have.
I’m both fascinated by and aware of this, and I try to listen to it and be truthful in what I put out there. I want to speak with my own voice, not just a voice I think people want to hear. For that reason, I also love seeing films and playing characters that are so different to me – because I get to try to understand their story and their perspective and I think that’s part of what makes storytelling on film kind of magical.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
One of my favorite memories from childhood would be baking with my Nana. We’d make something called “Lolly Cake” which is kind of an iconic Kiwi treat a lot of people enjoy as kids in New Zealand.
We’d made the cake (it’s more like a slice despite the name), and I felt like we’d waited for an age for it to set, I’d been following Nana around in the garden, and all I could think of was the cake! Finally, it was ready, Nana went to ease it out of the baking tray, and it wouldn’t budge! She gave it a bang on the kitchen counter, and it literally flew out, Nana not missing a beat caught it with both hands, and we laughed til we cried, I’ll never forget it!
Not long after that she also saved my life (true story) I almost drowned as a child. She was one of my heroes.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rachaelwotherspoon.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachaelwotherspoon/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/imrachw
- Other: https://www.imdb.me/rachaelwotherspoon
Image Credit:
‘Something Borrowed’ (behind the scenes Film still).
‘Bloodsucka Jones v The Creeping Death’ (Film still).
‘Two Deaths’ (Film still).
Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards.
Shari Hoffman
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
