A little over a month ago, I had the chance to meet up at Inn at the Seventh Ray with a friend of mine who lives in Los Angeles. We both drove hours to see each other, which is pretty typical for those who live in Southern California. My husband and I drove up from Orange County, where we usually stay when we’re on the coast visiting family. My friend drove from a bit closer to the downtown LA area, with her baby who was about six months old and as cute as a button.
I hadn’t really seen Rachel in years, apart from a very quick drop off of baby shower gifts just a day after she’d given birth. During our lunch, we got to talking about writing and filmmaking, two things she’s done throughout her nearly twenty year career in Hollywood. It was great to dive into some of the movies and TV shows that we either wanted to see or have seen recently, and to talk about books and the process of getting a novel written and hopefully published. I was just getting over my Yellowjackets binge and noted where the series shined and where it felt a bit thin. Rachel hadn’t yet seen the series but said it is on her list.
While we were lunching, I asked Rachel if she would like to sit down and participate in a Zoom interview about her career, which started around the time that we met in London 20 years ago when we were both directly out of undergrad and on a gap-year visa, working in one of the coolest cities on the planet. I realized that despite knowing her and following her work over the years with admiration for all of the things she’s accomplished, I hadn’t really talked in depth with her about her career.
Several weeks later, I got the opportunity to catch up again with my friend to talk about how she went from co-writing a play in London with me to attending USC for screenwriting, to writing, directing and producing several independent films and three seasons of a web series, which she also starred in. If you have any interest in learning more about the realities of being a writer-filmmaker in Hollywood, you will enjoy this discussion.
After earning a screenwriting MFA at USC, Rachel Tucker has worked as a story producer and other positions on unscripted shows for Food Network, Bravo, and Discovery Channel. She also wrote and produced two indie feature films and INTROVERTS web series. One of her features, TIME EXPIRED, won the Silver Remi at the WorldFest-Houston Film Festival and has received over three million online views. She currently lives in Los Angeles, where she is taking maternity leave and working on her novel whenever she can.
Wishing all of you who are gearing up to celebrate Thanksgiving this week a delicious meal and a joyful gathering with your loved ones.