If you’re anything like me you’re absolutely obsessed with the new Apple TV show, ‘Shrinking,’ which stars Jason Segel, Harrison Ford, and future superstar Rachel Stubington! I was lucky enough to get to chat with Rachel all about her career and our shared love of comedy, this was such a good chat and I hope you all love it as much as I do!
Hi Rachel! I’m so glad I’m getting to chat with you today! First, just want to start off by saying congratulations on the premiere of Shrinking! Can you tell my readers a bit about the show and who your character, Summer, is?
Thank you so much, I’d love to! Shrinking follows a therapist played by Jason Segel who is grieving the recent loss of his wife all while trying to maintain a relationship with his daughter (Alice), coworkers, friends, and clients. I play Summer, his daughter’s best friend. She’s constantly trying to get Alice out of her shell. Summer is fun and popular and does her makeup way better than I did in high school.
How did landing Shrinking come about for you? How long was the process of gettingcast to now, the show coming out?
It was a self-tape, which is always good because you can do as many takes as you want, but also a nightmare because you can do as many takes as you want. After I saw the posting for the audition, I knew I needed to do everything I could to have as good of a tape as possible. I paid my 10-year-old brother $4 to read sides with me. I made him do that for about 2 hours, and then he got frustrated (maybe I should’ve bumped him up to $8) so I decided I would go to my acting coach instead. The turnover from getting cast to filming was super quick, maybe 4 days? We filmed in July and now the show’s out!
Obviously, on Shrinking, you’re working with two powerhouses in the industry in JasonSegel and Harrison Ford, is there anything you took from watching them act that youthink will stick with you?
Their graciousness, professionalism, and enthusiasm definitely stood out. Working with them was an absolute dream.
Coming off the subject of Shrinking, you also have a Lifetime movie coming out thisyear! Can you tell me a little bit about A Rose For Her Grave?
Of course! A ROSE FOR HER GRAVE is based on a novel written by Ann Rule that follows the real-life crime story of Randy Roth, a serial killer who would marry women and then murder them for their money a very different tone from “Shrinking.” I play an underage family friend that Randy Roth groomed while committing these murders. It’s premiering February 18th on Lifetime; the cast and crew were absolutely incredible — I got tears and snot all over Chrishell Stause — and it was an amazing project to get to work on.
A Rose For Her Grave would definitely fall into the true crime trope that Lifetime isknown for, and that I eat up every time, Did you consume any content, specifically doany research on the Randy Roth case in preparation for this project?
Honestly, who doesn’t love a good Lifetime movie? My mom probably watches at least three a week, so my fingers are crossed that she catches this one. This was a really heavy case and I wanted to do my character's story justice. I read the novel the movie is based on as well as watched several documentaries on young girls who were preyed on by adults. It really opened my eyes as to how much this still happens and how every story has striking similarities. I really focused on my character’s storyline and tried to avoid learning about Randy’s crimes as much as possible, just because of how much my character idolized him prior to finding out what a monster he was.
Being based in Los Angeles obviously comes with so many perks, what would you say isthe biggest way the city inspires you in terms of your craft?
The biggest perk I’ve come to appreciate in LA is how many incredible acting classes and acting teachers there are in the area. I absolutely love going to scene study class each week. I’m so inspired by the talented, dedicated people in my classes. I’ve also been able to take tons of comedy classes. But also, you have to parallel park in LA, so there are pros and cons. I’ve scratched many cars.
Comedy in general is something that has been such a huge part of your life! I would loveto hear about how the genre has impacted you, and what inspires you comedically?
I’m very lucky that my family has always valued humor. I watched the movie STEPBROTHERS with my dad and younger brothers when we were entirely too young — I had the worst vocabulary an eight-year-old could have but it also taught me how much I loved and valued making other people laugh. While I always had acting as my goal, I’ve started to write sketches, fake episodes of my favorite shows, and even some pilots. I started writing with other people which became my favorite thing: getting to collaborate and make funny things with other people. I’m incredibly inspired by comedic actors who write their own material — Mindy Kaling, Tina Fey, and, of course, Jason Segel immediately comes to mind.
I know you have always been a huge SNL fan, so i have to ask, do you have a favoriteskit and SNL alum?
My favorite alumni would have to be Kristen Wiig, I literally went through a period in middle school where I would send her fan mail — I haven’t heard back yet but I’m still hopeful. My favorite sketch in recent times is the “High School Theatre Show” but my brothers and I quote “I am Your Mother” at least once a week.
What does the near future look like for you? What can fans look forward to with this newyear?
You’ll be seeing more of Summer in future episodes, as they come out every Friday. I worked on an HBO Max pilot recently and I’m super excited for audiences to meet Danain “A Rose for Her Grave” on February 18th. You can also follow me on Instagram, I’ll definitely be posting any new projects there! @rachelstubington
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Email: underpnkskiess@gmail.com
