Rachel Pizzulli is an actress living in Los Angeles. Originally from New Jersey, this young talent brings the best of the East Coast to the West Coast.
I am (use a max. of 3 words to describe yourself)… playful and honest.
Acting is… ‘privacy and insanity’.
My last acting gig taught me… it reminded me that my art is therapeutic. no matter how stressful the business side of it gets, the craft of acting is always a safe space for my mind to be.
Proudest performance moment… leaving the stage to hear, "I totally got it!" about my performance at 14 years old, said to me by my father.
Most embarrassing audition… the callback was given with just one page of sides. i walk in, do the scene, and got blindsighted with "could you please give me your best impression of any top 40 hit from the past ten years?" suddenly, i forgot every song i've ever heard, and the only thing that came to mind was Britney Spear's 'I'm A Slave 4 U" performance at the 2001 VMA's. so, before i knew it, i had asked the director to give me his scarf and i performed full choreography (that i didn't realize i even knew) with his scarf as the snake. needless to say, i got the part.
Most challenging part… i believe that any role i excitedly choose to work on in classes always turn out to be the hardest. it may have something to do with preconceived ideas i have for the scene, or perhaps preconceived ideas i have about my own personality that turn it into a challenging task. however, the roles i get assigned or book that seem out of my own given circumstances in real life, tend to actually be the most relatable and easiest stories to convey.
The moment I knew I wanted to be an actor… i can't pin point a specific moment. i just think that at some point the rest of the world grew out of playing make believe after a certain age and i never did.
Dying to work with… Bette Davis!
Was born to play… 'I was born to play.' i think that says it all. be it Shakespeare, a cartoon, a procedural, anything. before any audition, before every opening night, before any challenging performance, i can always calm my nerves by thinking "no need to be nervous, you get to play!" every time.
Learn lines by… working on the rest of my script analysis first. i think that once i know who i am, who i'm talking to, my environment, all that good stuff, then by the time i go to memorize... because i now truly understand what i'm saying, most of it is already in my brain.
Get into character by… focusing on the similarities rather than the differences between myself and the character. once i accept a role, it's no longer playing a character, i am just being myself in new given circumstances.
Special skill I wouldn't put on my resume… animal whispering. i am in no way qualified, but i like to think i have a special connection to animals that only Steve Irwin would understand, rest his soul.
Movie I can’t stop talking about… i really enjoy Film Noir as a genre. one of my greatest wishes is for someone to successfully bring it back! but because of that, i enjoy a lot of stylized movies with interesting undertones. all that being said, i saw "Bad Times at the El Royale," and "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," within like a week of each other, and i walked around like the main characters for about a month!
Top three shows in my queue… rewatching New Girl for the hundredth time, love a good alien documentary, and BuzzFeed Unsolved!
Currently reading… The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah for this month's book club meeting!
Car karaoke tune… Frank Sinatra, hands down.
If I weren't an actor, I'd be… working with exotic animals.
Stranger Things character that best represents me… i wish i could say Hopper, but he's so much better than i am. i think i may be a baby Demogorgon.
If they made a movie about my life, I’d be played by… hopefully Zac Efron.
Actor crush… Tom Holland or Pete Davidson, please don't make me choose.
Sign… aquarius!
If I were a color, I'd be… beige.
Hotel alias… Julian Pepperwood.
LA spot that inspires or relaxes me… any place I can climb to see the skyline.
The best advice I ever got… there is so much happening in this industry that is out of your control, so only focus on the things that are in your control, and it will minimize the over thinking and self doubt.
You can find me at… www.rachelpizzulli.com