Young starlet Rachel Eggleston talks feature film Bastards, working with Brad Garrett, and filming with Animals

By: Daniel Hoyos | PHOTOS COURTESY ​Kenneth Dolin ​
- ​Los Angeles, California

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Young L.A. starlet Rachel Eggleston talks about her feature film "Bastards", and working with Brad Garrett on the sitcom "How To Live With Your Parents For The Rest Of Your Life". Also Rachel tell us about her experience filming with animals on Mutt & Stuff.

​Congratulations on completing your role in the feature film “Bastards” starring Owen Wilson, and ED Helms. Can you tell us about your character Elizabeth?

Playing Elizabeth was great! She’s a lot like me, she’s super comfortable with adults and so am I. The movie isn’t out yet and I wouldn’t want to give anything away but Elizabeth is sweet & spunky. She has a great connection with Ed Helm’s character and it was so fun shooting on location in Atlanta and Miami.

​At just 12 years old you have already had guest roles on hit TV series including “Austin & Ally”, “Justified”, and “Castle.” Can you tell us how you prepare for an audition? 

Whenever I have an audition and I get the lines to study, I try to read between the lines and see what's really going on in the scene(s) I try to imagine how the characters in the story are feeling. Oh, and let's not forget the lines, it's pretty important to know the lines.

​In 2013 you had a co-staring role in the short-lived sitcom “How To Live With Your Parents For The Rest of Your Life” opposite Brad Garrett from “Everybody Loves Raymond”. What was it like working with Brad, and did he give you any career advice?                               

Working with Brad was amazing. I was just seven years old when I worked on that show but I can remember how funny and sweet he was. I always had fun with him on set. I can remember an episode when he was going to be doing a big singing number in a play we were performing. He was practicing in the hair & make-up trailer while we were getting ready for the scene. He has such a big voice, everyone was laughing and smiling. He’s such a big sweet guy and a good singer.

People have described you as an old soul because; of just how young you were when you entered the business. How did you get started acting, and did your parents play a big role in supporting your career? 

People used to say I was an old soul A LOT when I was younger. Mostly, I think because I liked hanging out with adults more than kids back then. I always liked talking to the grown-ups. Now, I like being around kids my age and adults. People were always telling my mom that I should be in show business. She would respond by saying, “Maybe one day, if we meet the right person”. And then one day that’s exactly what happened. We met my manager, Sheila Russo with SR Talent Management. She introduced us to my agents at Coast to Coast and things moved quickly after that. I booked the first commercial audition that I went out on. It was a national commercial for Coke Zero. Theatrical jobs came a few months later. It was an exciting time! As far as support from my parents. I don’t think any child actor could do this without 100% support from their parents, it means everything.

Going to school while having a full time acting career is no easy task for a 12 year old. How do you juggle school with your acting responsibilities?

It’s a group effort for sure!!  I’ve been so lucky to have a school and parents that support me and my love for acting. I’m also a good student who cares about school and getting my work done, which probably has a lot to do with why people are willing to support me. But there certainly are those times when the juggle is a struggle.. lol.

Rachel Eggleston has already worked with such noteable talent including Brad Garrett, Judy Greer, and Nat Faxon.

You appeared in multiple episodes of “Mutt & Stuff” on Nick Jr. as the Animal Rescuer, which is a show that features a lot of live dogs, and rabbits. What was it like working with all these animals on set? Do you have any dogs or others animals at home?

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Working with the live animals on Mutt & Stuff was DEFINITELY something that drew me to the Annie the Animal Rescuer character. I love animals and loved the idea of working with the dogs and all the  animals that were guests on the show. My favorite was a baby kangaroo. It was so cute and soft and bigger than I thought it would be.  At home I have a lot of animals. We have a great dane named Auggie, a golden retriever, a cat, 5 chickens & some fish.

You also stared in the FX sitcom “Married” with Nat Faxon, and Judy Greer playing the role of Maya Bowman. Can you share any personal and fun memories from the set?

I really enjoyed playing the role of Maya Bowman on FX. That show had a lot of adult content, so I couldn’t watch an entire episode. That was kind of funny because my mom would record the show and fast forward to the parts that I could watch. But I loved the character that I played and the kids who played my sisters on the show. Maya was funny and feisty. I really liked an episode called “Gymnastics” where Maya was in a gymnastics competition. It was fun to film because I got to use some of my own gymnastic skills during the shoot.

What advice would you give kids looking to break into acting? 

​I think if I met a kid who wanted to be an actor I would say tryout for the school play or sign up for a workshop. You have to try something to see if you like learning lines and being on stage or in front of a camera. If you love it then you have to work hard and give it 100% just like with sports or other activities. Sometimes you miss out on some of the normal stuff with your friends or school events, but when you miss a few things and you know you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, that’s when you know your doing something you were meant to do.

Can you tell what your currently working on?

I recently finished shooting a pilot for Nickelodeon called The Bugaloos. Sid & Marty Krofft created this show along with many more in the 1970’s. This is a reboot of the one that aired in the seventies and is also produced by the Krofft brothers. I play Joy in the Bugaloos. It was an exciting project to work on because I get to sing and use a British Accent. It’s currently being tested and I can’t wait to find out if it will be picked-up to series!!

Follow Rachel on Instagram, and Twitter.