We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rachel Huron. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rachel below.

Rachel, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

Acting has always been my dream from day one; I just never really realized it. I grew up with an immense love of film. I remember growing up, my parents telling me that if I was good all week, they would take me to the Hollywood Video down the street and I could pick a movie for us to rent, that was my HEAVEN! There were so many different movies to choose from, I wanted to watch them all! I just couldn’t get enough film! I would dress up as different characters and play pretend, like any kid would growing up, so in the back of my head, I knew I loved pretending, but so did every other kid growing up, so I didn’t think anything of it. My favorite actor has always been Michael Keaton. I remember the first movie I ever saw was Batman (1989). My parents and I were watching HBO in the living room, and it was coming on next, so I sat with them. I was mesmerized. So I watched it again, and again, and again. Even to this day, I can confidently say it is my favorite movie. One day, when I was 6 years old, I stayed home from school sick, and my Mom had me lying down in the living room watching TV. Again, again, HBO was on. She said, “Hey, you wanna watch this movie? The guy who plays Batman is in it.” I said “Yeah!”. The movie was Beetlejuice. I remember watching this movie where this dark, zany world seemed to merge with this seemingly innocent mid-west couple, and asking every 5 minutes, “Is that him?” to every male character that came on screen. And then finally this creature shot of this make-shift earth to which my mother announced, “That’s Batman”. I argued with her about it. How could my own Mom lie to me? “That’s not him.” “Yes, it is.” “No, it’s not.” “Rachel, I’m telling you, that’s the guy that played Batman”. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I still couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that these two drastically different characters could come from this one man. That moment stayed with me; I just knew at that moment that my love for film had just grown exponentially. I wanted to be a part of “this”, the creative atmosphere that was film. As someone who grew up with a lot of anxiety, I never even thought acting was in the cards for me. I was having panic attacks at school. How was I even going to be able to get up in front of people, in front of a camera, and do anything like that? And it wasn’t until I went to the North East School of the Arts, a magnet school program where I got to study film, and the panic attacks started to calm down, that I realized it could be possible.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. I am the oldest of four, and I have always LOVED being the oldest. I am a very old soul, and love it! I graduated from the North East School of the Arts at LEE High School with a Business, Industry, and Fine Arts Endorsement as a Cinema Major. I obtained my BA in Communication Studies with a Minor in Drama from St. Mary’s University, and I will graduate from the Stella Adler Art of Acting Studio in December. I have loved TV and Film ever since I was a kid, and I speak fluently in movie quotes. I have done Shakespeare, Commercials, Voice Over and Comedies mainly, but I can do drama as well.

People can be there emotionally for others. If someone is trying to get their art out there, and people on social media or in person start with the negativity, overshadow them with praise. If you genuinely like their art and want to support them, start by supporting them emotionally. We as artists, of course, always need money, and know that not everybody is in a position to offer that kind of support, but kindness is free. Sharing their art is free, spreading the praise of their abilities is free. Start there.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is being a part of something that can support someone in their day-to-day life. When I was 6 years old, I was diagnosed with Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis, which resulted in a bone-eating tumor on my spine. Although now it can be seen as cancer, nobody ever told me that was what I had, but I did see an oncologist, and my oncologist said I needed to wear a back brace. When I went to get fitted for a back brace, the doctors told me that they could put any kind of sticker that I wanted to try and liven up this bone white brace that I had to wear. I, being the super nerd that I am, told them that I wanted them to put Michael Keaton’s Batman on the brace. The tech looked at me and said, “We’ll see what we can do”. When I received the back brace, it had an animated Batman character on it that I had never seen before. My uncle, being the comic book nerd he is, informed me that the Batman character was Kevin Conroy from Batman: The Animated Series. I had never seen it before, and we spent the whole day watching episodes. I was transfixed in this noir atmosphere where Kevin Conroy gave this beautiful, Shakespearean life to Batman. From then on, it became a comfort show to me as I continued with treatments and other difficult experiences in my life. I got the chance to meet him one day and tell him my story, how he was able to be there for me as I went through my trials and tribulations. I want to be there for someone else, anybody else, however they need me. Whether they need me for a laugh or a cry or anything and everything in between.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rachelhuron.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rach_huron/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-huron-6b5b0017b/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5EpL9iJ5lmrGxKs9L5IrHQ
• Other: Vocal +: https://vocal.media/authors/rachel-huron

Image Credits

Headshot by Huebner Headshots