Meet Rachel Mathieu: Actor & Writer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rachel Mathieu and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rachel, what principle do you value most?
“It has long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them, they went out and happened to things.” This quote is most commonly attributed to Leonardo da Vinci; it’s been one of my favorites for a long time. To me, it highlights the value that I’ve held on to most closely during the course of my career in the performing arts. Waiting for opportunities to present themselves to you is a long, laborious, and often futile process. The people that find the most success are those that create opportunity for themselves. I’ve found this to be true countless times in professional settings, both for myself and for the people I admire. So many of the best new voices in film have come from people that used a self-starter, entrepreneurial mentality to launch their careers: Phoebe Waller-Bridge creating Fleabag from the script of her one-woman show, Issa Rae turning her web series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl into the hit show Insecure, or Lena Dunham creating her own content until her success in the festival circuit caught the attention of Judd Apatow. Creating my own projects and producing my own work has created an immense amount of opportunity for me. It’s strengthened my relationships with fellow collaborators, it’s given me the chance to develop skills outside my primary areas of focus, and most importantly- it’s been the most challenging, fulfilling, and involved creative process that I have experienced. It’s cemented the principle I hang on to the most- there is no better advocate for yourself than you.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
The strongest draw for me in pursuing a career in acting has always been making people laugh. From a young age, I had a list of comedians I greatly admired- Steve Martin, Bill Murray, Tina Fey… Once I started performing comedy on my own, I knew it was something I wanted to explore further. But I realized quickly that it would be harder than I expected in ways I didn’t anticipate. I remember being in the acting program at USC and having one of my peers ask me, “So what kind of acting are you most interested in doing?” When I responded by explaining my ardent love of comedy, they replied, “Really?! Huh. You don’t look funny.” I’ve gotten that a lot. Being a woman in comedy is already a can of worms by itself, but I’ve found that even for many of the people that are comfortable with female comedians, they often have a pretty narrow perception of what that looks like. However, I’ve learned over time that my unexpected ‘look’ is a very helpful asset. So much of comedy comes from the unexpected, and being able to trick the audience and surprise them with a sudden outburst of anger, or sadness, or fear has been an incredibly useful tool for me. Despite the uphill battle I’ve had with overcoming people’s perceptions of my ‘look,’ it’s proven to be incredibly helpful in creating memorable performances that subvert an audience’s expectations of me.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
-The Last Bookstore DTLA bookstore and art gallery with a huge array of books, vinyls, and art installations. -Chateau Marmont Famous Hollywood hotel+restaurant, tucked away right off Sunset. -The Magic Castle Exclusive Hollywood club that offers evenings filled with big and large shows from local and traveling magicians. -Biltmore Hotel Historic DTLA hotel with a beautiful 4:00 tea time. -Kenneth Hahn Large network of trails with incredible 360 views of the city. -Culver City Hotel Historic hotel + restaurant in the heart of Culver City, walkable from all other Culver City restaurants and shops. -The Misfit Beautiful bar and restaurant near the Santa Monica pier. Great place to grab a drink before a sunset beach stroll! -ChocoVivo Chocolate cafe with a host of treasures inside, sometimes offers chocolate + whiskey pairing events. -Mama Shelter Beautiful Hollywood bar + restaurant with a rooftop patio and an incredible view of the city.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
One of the most formative aspects of my creativity occurred during my years growing up in Covington, Georgia, a small town South East of Atlanta. Covington was home to the Arts Association of Newton County, a non-profit dedicated to bringing excellent creative instruction to kids in the community, as well as producing an annual season of shows and cultural events. I was an avid member of Covington Regional Ballet, the dance branch of the Arts Association. Although I ended up pursuing acting in my career instead of dance, CRB taught me so much about the fundamentals of life as a creative. The program required intense commitment: classes, rehearsals, and physical training were scheduled every day except Sunday. Shows took three to four months of dedicated preparation. Summer ‘breaks’ were spent training, either at home or at summer intensives around the country, to prepare for the upcoming season. Ballet taught me so much about the work ethic and drive needed to succeed in a creative field, but it also showed me the incredible sense of community fostered by a group sharing a common goal. I’m so grateful for the Arts Association in demonstrating these lessons for me countless times at a young age- they have informed and benefitted my creative career exponentially.

Website: www.rachelmathieu.com

Instagram: @rachel__mathieu

Facebook: Rachel Mathieu

Youtube: Elephant Department