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RACHEL NICHOLS on 'P2' (Part 2 of 2)
Contributed by Michael J. Lee, Executive Editor
for Radio Free Entertainment
November 1, 2007
In the thriller P2, young executive Angela Bridges (Rachel Nichols) finds herself pulling a late shift at the office on Christmas Eve, more comfortable with the sterile environs of work than the holiday gathering with the family that awaits her. But on this particular occasion, as her New York office building empties for the yuletide season, she is being stalked by Thomas (Wes Bentley), an obsessive parking attendant who finally decides to make his move. With no one to help her, Angela is drugged and chained to a table, where Thomas has eerily prepared a Christmas dinner for them. What unfolds is a game of cat and mouse, with Angela fighting back against a dangerous and unstable sociopath determined to possess her.
In this second segment of a two-part interview with star Rachel Nichols, she talks about training for physical shoots, being a less-than-good singer, and working on upcoming projects.
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The Interview
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MEDIA: Your director said that your ability to do dialects helped in your getting this role...
RACHEL: Oh, I didn't actually know that. I love doing accents. I don't necessarily know if it altered Angela in any way, because they never made me be Jersey or anything like that. But I love to do accents. I find it very cool. Because let's face it, I'm probably not going to learn many other languages, because languages are very hard to learn. And I learned French at 20 and that was rough enough as it is, and I'm still not very good at it. But dialects are a great way to experience new characters, to experience a new side of yourself that you find in new characters. And [says in a Russian accent] "If you can talk with Russian accent, is very good."
After doing a season on Alias, do the kickass heroine scripts just come your way?
You know what? They do, and I love it, I have to say. Because Alias really did a lot for me as far as body image is concerned, and I come from the world of modeling, and I had participated in some unhealthy eating practices for the need to feel thin. And I started on Alias, and they had started me with a trainer. They started me with Valerie Waters, who's Jen Garner's trainer, and it changed my life. I mean, it really...I started to look at food differently, and look at working out, which I had always said, "Oh, I hate working out!" And I started looking at that differently. And so it changed my persona, and it changed how I felt about myself. So to do a job that I loved as much as I loved doing Alias, and then to have other scripts in front of me like P2, where Angela, she's another kickass kind of girl, nobody's going to save her, she's going to save herself, it's really flattering. And it's really gratifying to know that, after perhaps a kind of a more bumpy body image road that I had started on, I'm at a really good place, and I'm confident that I'm a good role model for younger girls--I feel like I'm a good, strong role model rather than someone who's maybe convincing them to skip a meal, you know what I mean? The kickass girl role parts are much more fun than the really skinny ones.
What do you do really well, and what do you do really badly?
Really well. I'm a good cleaner. I enjoy cleaning. And organizing. I'm a Capricorn. I enjoy all of that stuff. I'm really good with an iron and a vacuum. And I'm tone deaf, so I cannot sing, and you don't want me to sing. My whole team is very well aware. Oh, and I have strange looking feet. That's from years of dancing. I do have strange looking heels. But that's from years of dancing. But my mom had always said, "You can do anything you want, but you should never, ever sing unless you're in the shower or you have a full orchestra behind you, so nobody can hear your voice." And she has a beautiful voice. And still to this day, we'll be in the car and I'll be singing to the radio, and she'll just keep turning it up to drown me out.
Have you been out in the sun a lot?
Oh no, when I get cold... [gestures to her skin being red]
I thought you were going to tell us about some wonderful shoot in the outdoors you're doing.
Oh, no. I wear sunscreen every day, and have for years. Face, neck, arms. I'm really pale. So I have no choice, really, is what it boils down to.
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What was your experience like working on Charlie Wilson's War?
I have an extraordinarily small part, which may or may not completely end up on the cutting room floor. But working with someone like Mike Nichols, who is, I will say, my favorite director of all time...My dad loved The Graduate. I loved Closer and everything in between. He was such a great guy. He just lived up to all the expectations that I had. And so did Tom Hanks. I mean, Tom was fantastic. He's just every bit that nice guy. My name is Suzanne, I play one of the staffers in Tom's office.
Who do you play in the sequel to The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants?
I play one of America Ferrera's really good friends from Yale. It's based on, I think, the third and fourth books in the series.
So did you brush up on your character by reading the books?
[sheepishly expresses a no] Sorry. I always feel bad. I always feel like, "Yes, I did! I did! I studied the character!" But no, I didn't. I hate to admit it, but I did not.
That must have been a fun set, with all the gals...
They were great. And you know, America really is a gem. You know what? I've had the very good fortune of working with some great women. Jen Garner is an extraordinarily wonderful person, and she's extremely nice and sincere. And so is America. Sincere. Sincere kindness and generosity...It's something that you rarely see, and they both have it in spades. And I just was really blown away by America. Because she's younger than I am, and she's so wise for her age. It's really something nice to see in a young Hollywood star because I don't think we see enough of it.
Thanks for your time.
Thank you very much...I appreciate you all coming out and spending some time with me today.
Return to Part 1 of this interview
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