Hollywood newcomer stars alongside Harrison Ford and Jason Segel
Rachel Stubington landed her first big role straight out of acting school
Many an aspiring actress in LA knows that opportunity might just knock wherever you are – even if that happens to be at shul on the High Holidays.
For newcomer Rachel Stubington, there’s something delightfully endearing about how her grandmother would fuss over her naturally gorgeous red curls before the talented youngster approached the front to sing to the congregation.
“You never know, there could be an agent in the audience,” she would beam at her granddaughter.
Likely there probably were agents – and writers, actors, directors and producers – among the talented crowd at Temple Judea in Tarzana, a suburban neighbourhood of the sprawling city that’s home to many a member of the entertainment industry.
But as the story turns out, that’s not actually how Rachel ended up finding her big break just months after graduating from UCLA’s prestigious acting school.
Indeed, landing a role in the new Apple TV+ dramedy, Shrinking, alongside iconic actors Harrison Ford and Jason Segel was, she says, simply down to good fortune, though one gets the impression this rising star is being a little too humble about her natural abilities and years of hard graft.
“I mean, I hate to reduce it to luck, but I got really lucky,” laughs the 22-year-old, speaking over Zoom from her home in LA. “I’d been auditioning for around 10 years at this point. It was a long journey of auditioning for so many things, and then nothing really working out. I was trying to stay positive after graduating, but it was a little strange because I didn’t have the comfort of university anymore. I had this thought that I’m an actress, but I don’t really work as an actress.
“And then this audition came into my email. My mum saw it and said straight away this is huge. I had to do a self-tape, where you video yourself and it kind of felt like I was putting my best foot forward, but who knows what’s gonna happen? When I found out I got the part, I cried. I told every single person that I knew ever. It was really exciting. If I’m honest, I still don’t know how I ended up on the show!”
Rachel was handed the role of Summer, a party-loving teenager trying to keep her best friend Alice (Lukita Maxwell) distracted with boys and booze following the tragic death of her mother. Meanwhile Alice’s therapist father Jimmy (played by Segel) copes with his grief by starting to tell his clients exactly what he thinks, rather than waiting for them to come to their own answers.
For the woman trapped in an emotionally abusive marriage, Jimmy tells her to leave her husband or he’ll terminate their sessions. For the military veteran with uncontrolled anger issues, the ‘vigilante’ shrink ditches the talking therapy and instead takes him down to the local martial arts studio, where his patient can unleash on a willing opponent. No-one in his professional circle thinks this is a good idea, least of all his mentor and boss Phil, played by Ford.
Shrinking, co-created by Ted Lasso’s Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein, is an evocative comedy, one that raises as many laughs as it may produce tears.
“I think the show does a really incredible job of bridging grief and comedy,” says Rachel, who filmed the series during an intense three-week schedule over the summer. “Finding humour in pain is one of the most empowering things we can do.”
For all the emotions that the script managed to stir up, Rachel actually found herself not feeling anything at all on her first day walking onto the Warner Brothers lot.
“What’s funny is I was really nervous and excited before, but when I got there I can’t think of another word besides ‘numb’! I felt like I needed to let my body not feel excitement in those moments just to keep it together. I look up to Jason Segel so much, so getting to work with him specifically felt like this huge moment in my life and then also Harrison Ford. He’s Indiana Jones – he’s a legend!”
For all of his megastar status, Ford and Rachel charmingly have something in common – both are making their debut on a comedy TV series with their star turns on Shrinking. Having played hundreds of roles and now in his eight decade, Ford has never appeared in a TV comedy show until now and is unleashing his natural flair for dry wit with relish. Rachel describes both him and Segel as “effortlessly funny” on set
She recalls: “There was a lot of improv going on and it was fun to hear the kind of lines they would throw out sometimes. Like to them it’s just off the cuff, but to me I would have assumed that writers sat around for like three hours to come up with that. They are just so talented.”
Following her stint on the show, which she hopes will be renewed for a second season, Rachel landed another project – an upcoming Lifetime original movie, A Rose For Her Grave, alongside Selling Sunset’s Chrishell Stause and soap actor Colin Egglesfield.
She describes her role as “a total 180”, having gone from starring in a comedy to a appearing in a gritty drama revealing the real-life tale of serial wife-killer Randy Roth (played by Egglesfield). Rachel stars as the 16-year-old daughter of family friends, who Roth preys on, while Chrishell plays Lori, best friend of his late wife, Cindy, who is determined to bring the killer to justice.
Rachel admits to never having watched Selling Sunset prior to filming, but her mother was “massively” excited about her latest role, having been glued to the Netflix reality series. Chrishelle used to be married to Justin Hartley, who played the role of Kevin in This is Us.
“I literally had no idea who she was,” laughs Rachel. “But even my friends were excited and when I finally met her she was just so lovely. I’m a big fan of Chrishell as a person.”
There’s no doubting Rachel’s career is on the up and up, though she remains humble – even after a glitzy red-carpet premiere of Shrinking which saw her reunited with the entire cast last month, or her name appearing all over the media – and remains grounded by having the support of both her family and the Jewish community.
“In fact, the biggest thing for me in terms of my Judaism has always been community,” she explains. “I feel like it has shaped me. I went to Jewish summer camp for nine years and I never laughed harder than I did at camp, and then I had the opportunity to perform for my synagogue. This community has been so supportive and that has allowed me to blossom.”
Already looking to secure her next big role, Rachel tells me she would love to star in Mindy Kaling’s The Sex Lives of College Girls, or perhaps one day her own comedy with younger brother Max, 12, who has also caught the acting bug.
“That would be my absolute dream,” she smiles. “That and a second series of Shrinking.”
Shrinking is available to stream now on Apple TV+
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