Rachel Melvin – More to Her Than the Character She Portrays

Though she clearly is the actress who plays Chelsea on the popular soap opera “Days of Our Lives,” you would never believe it if you closed your eyes and engaged in a dialog with Rachel Melvin—you’d think you had spoken to somebody else entirely.  She is nothing like her character, a saucy, fast teenager who has a turbulent relationship with her biological parents, Bo Brady and Billy Reed.  In reality, Melvin maintains a loving relationship with her parents, and had only kissed two boys her entire life before being cast for this role.  She is sweet, unassuming, and terribly gracious.  They say great actors are born, and that describes this actress completely.  Only being a “natural” could explain how Rachel Melvin not only landed a role on her very first audition, but also gained her coveted soap opera part.

Since Melvin’s arrival in Los Angeles three years ago, she has appeared on several television shows, and starred in the soon to be released film, Boo.  She is very involved with the Diabetes Foundation, and she spends time with Murphy, her cocker spaniel.  She was blessed with delicate features, porcelain skin, and is a size 0.  We just had to put her in a fashion shoot.

Rachel is tucked away in a modern condo in Burbank, very near NBC Studios, where she works.  On her living room wall are posters ofBreakfast at Tiffany’s and Gone with the Wind.  “In the old days I liked Audrey Hepburn.  I also really liked Vivien Leigh.  Gone with the Wind was my favorite movie ever.”

Rachel Melvin was engaging and delightful to interview.

How long have you been acting?

I’ve been acting for three years.  My dad just told me to take a chance out here and pursue my acting, and I did.  I did plays in high school, but not too many, and one that I did was called “Any Number Can Die.”  It’s a play that took place in the ’30s.  It was a murder mystery.  It was really fun.  After I did that, I was just addicted.

Where are you from originally?

I was born in Elmhurst, Illinois, and I was raised in Phoenix, Arizona.  I moved out to California three years ago, first Chatsworth, then Camarillo, and now finally, Burbank.

Tell me about “Days of Our Lives.”

It’s a lot of hard work. The character of Chelsea, before it was made a contract role, was a recurring role, and was played actually by an actress who is also with my agency.  They decided about two or three months after she started working that they wanted to make the character a contract role.  She had coincidentally booked a role on another show, and she told my agent she was going to give up the role of Chelsea.  So my agent obviously had the heads up before she even told production.  They told me to start watching her and get a feel for the character, and I had actually gone out for the character before when they first brought her on the show, and I didn’t get it because I was still playing like the sweet wholesome girl thing.  So I just went out on the audition like everybody else, made it through callbacks, pre-reads, and then I did a screen test, and then I got the role.

What made you decide to become an actress?

It’s kind of a funny little story, and I know two or three other people who’ve actually said this, too.  When you’re driving home, you’re making your own movie trailers in the car, and not a lot of people do that; so I just kind of took that as a sign that I wanted to be an actor.

Tell me about your first audition?

I was taking acting classes in Larchmont Village in Los Angeles, and the coach knows a bunch of casting directors, people he’s grown up with and worked with.  And this one casting director from Danny Goldman Casting was casting this movie called Boo, and she needed a bunch of people for the lead character; and so Scott called me and said to “just go out.  It will be really fun.  I know you’ve never done it before, but you’ll get a feel.”  So I just went out there and did it, not even thinking anything, and then they said thank you.  I went to leave and they chased after me.  “We need you to come back tomorrow.  Here’s a script for you.  Read it, and we want you to read for this other character, Meg.”  And after reading the script, I wanted that role anyway because I felt more of a connection to that character, and one thing led to another.  I ended up doing my project within six months of being out here.

You hear about actors and actresses always training, taking classes.   Did you go through that at all?

I did.  At one point my dad was working out here, and he met people in the industry at his job, and one of them was a casting agent, and she wanted to give my dad a few pointers if his daughter was really serious about acting.  Her first advice was move out here and take acting classes, because that’s where everything stems from.  So I took the acting classes.  You learn a lot.  Before I was debating about going to college or actually coming out here.

I’ve been looking around your condo, and I notice you have Audrey Hepburn on the wall.  Tell me, are there any particular actors or actresses that you like?

Nowadays I am a big fan of Rachel McAdams and Sarah Jessica Parker. Mainly because they just have this certain authenticity and truth to their acting, which is something I kind of strive to have or maintain, and I just really look up to them for that.  They’ve made great choices in their careers, so have Leonardo Di Caprio and Johnny Depp.  I know they’re male, but I really look up to them, too, for taking on these challenges and always doing something different.

Now, you mentioned violin.  Do you play violin?

I played a lot in elementary and middle school.  I did it more for fun, and when I hit the eighth grade, I was in Texas and they were so hardcore.   “This is serious; this is your career; this is your life”  [I didn’t feel that way]. I just kind of wanted to fool around and play on it.  I stopped playing, but I never sold it, just because I think it’s one of the most beautiful instruments in the world, and I actually just bought an electric violin.  I don’t have any amps for it.  I have to get those.  So I haven’t played in a while, but when I do pick it up again, I want to play stuff that I’ve heard like “Even Essence” and “Yellow Card.” They use violins in their music.  I just want to fool around and play the songs I know and have fun with it.

Highest High

I play opposite Blake Berris on “Days of Our Lives.”  He plays Nick the geek.  He brings a lot to my story line and to the show in general, and we play off each other really well.  We’ve had these cute little flirting scenes.  It’s just really good stuff.  I describe it as magical.

So you are involved in the American Diabetes Association.  How did that come about?

I joined it because my dad has Type 2 diabetes, where you have to inject yourself with insulin, and he’s had it for about twelve years.  I remember how his getting diabetes has changed him and all of our lifestyles. I joined because my dad is not a very good diabetic.  He’ll buy a pack of Oreos, and they’ll be gone in three days, which is not good for a diabetic.  My mom is always on his case, bringing him to doctors to make sure he is more aware and more healthy, but he’s a man, and he’s older, so he’s set in his ways; and he’s going to do what he wants to do.  But since I joined ADA and I have been getting more educated about it, I tell my dad certain things.  I went to one event and they had those FUSE drinks, which are supposed to be good for diabetics, and I told my dad about them and now he’s addicted to them, which is a good thing.  It’s easier for me to be in a charity and get the information and then pass it on to my dad than it is for him to actually get up, schedule an appointment with the doctor and go… or a nutritionist… because he is so busy.  It was something I wanted to know more about.  And I just thought my family should be more aware of it and a lot more Americans should be more aware of it, too.

Diabetes is not a disease that I feel a lot of people take seriously because the death toll doesn’t happen immediately.  It’s more dragged out, so people don’t see it as an immediate problem, where with cancer people are more on it, because it takes lives so quickly.  I felt that diabetes is a disease, and it deserves to be treated just like everything else.

What is your involvement in the association?

I’ve been to a couple of walks that they’ve had.  I actually participated in the walk because it was something I always wanted to do.  I brushed up a little bit on the facts about it, and did a little public speaking at one of their events, and got the rally going before they went out on the walk.  I also work with the kids that are there to encourage, then do things that take their mind off what they have and open them up to the other more positive things in life.  Because I like art so much, it usually entails drawing.

I want to write a children’s book, not necessarily for the kids with diabetes, but just to have a children’s book, and then work out something with the proceeds that would go to ADA just because I think that they should have the opportunity to have the finances to really look into getting a cure.

How is your dad doing now?

My dad’s good, but the thing that’s bad about diabetes is it starts out fine, then it gradually gets bigger and bigger.  He’s had the neuropathy in his feet.  My dad’s the only guy in our family.  He’s always done everything, for example, Christmas decorations.  Now, he can’t be on his feet too long.   His feet have neuropathy, so it doesn’t enable him to do a lot.   He has to inject himself with insulin, and because of his neuropathy, it’s very difficult for him to exercise, so he gains weight, which makes him not as happy as he used to be.  But there’s nothing he can do about it, so it decreases his self-appreciation and confidence.  It tears you up emotionally and physically.  And eventually you’ve heard about people getting their feet and legs amputated because it just crawls up.  Because it’s not killing them immediately, people say, “It’s sad they don’t have legs, but at least they’re still living.”  It’s something that shouldn’t be overlooked.

To learn more, or to make a donation to the American Diabetes Association, go to www.diabetes.org.

Interviewed by Kaylene Peoples