You may know her as Melissa, Ed Helms' vicious girlfriend from The Hangover, but Ohio-born actress Rachael Harris boasts a lengthy resume, ranging from a recurring gig on The Daily Show to guest appearances on television's Modern Family, The West Wing and Friends, among a number of other high-profile projects. Harris' journey in acting began long before the conception of these professional programs and films, however; in fact, she said, it all started with her first grade talent show.
"My brother, who was in the sixth grade, stuffed the ballot box," Harris said. "So I won the talent show, and that made me want to get involved in the music program in grade school."
From that point forward, Harris immersed herself in the world of music and theatre. Taking on plays and musicals alike throughout high school, she ultimately landed a spot in Otterbein University's musical theatre program, which allowed her to make her childhood dreams a reality.
"It wasn't until I was in college that I really realized how lucky I was that I knew what I wanted to major in," Harris said.
After graduating from Otterbein with a bachelor's degree in fine arts, Harris moved first to New York, and then to Los Angeles, where she joined the Groundlings, one of the nation's most prestigious improvisational comedy troupes. From there, she explained, it was "off to the races." A series of commercials, pilots and bit roles followed, drawing primarily on Harris' stellar comic timing and her magnetic screen presence.
In Robbie Pickering's Natural Selection, which will be shown this Saturday as part of the Virginia Film Festival, Harris makes a marked departure from these largely comedic roles. In one of the year's best performances, Harris plays Linda, a pious Texan housewife who endeavors to grant her dying husband his final wish by tracking down his illegitimate son, Raymond. For Harris, the part struck close to home.
"I really connected with Linda on a deep level because I've been through a divorce, and I grew up in a small town in Ohio," she said. "And when I moved to New York, it was kind of a rude awakening for me. I was like, 'Woah, people are so different here!' So I could really relate to [Linda's] having to adapt to new things. And also, to her sense of loss, to be honest. I mean, after a divorce, having to come home to a completely different life is very unsettling."
Still, despite Natural Selection's heavy material, Harris's approach to her role remained consistent with her method for more comedic characters.
"If you look at Melissa from The Hangover, I'm not trying to be funny," she said. "I'm trying to be honest. My approach for comedy, and same for drama, is that I'm just trying to be honest. And so, it's just trying to get to know the truth of every moment that's happening. And I also have an acting coach that I work with, and we go through scene by scene, and sort of talk the arc of the character, so that I have a sort of mathematical way of knowing where I am throughout the film."
Even with this systematic method, though, the role of Linda in Natural Selection did present some hurdles for Harris.
"What was challenging," she said, "was just allowing myself to be that vulnerable on screen. When you're on screen, you always want to look good. But I've found, in films that I've gone to, the ones I really respond to, are when the actor or actress is not aware of how they look, and it's real, and we believe it. It's very satisfying when you feel like you've really gotten to the heart of the character. You don't always do it, but you hope that you get there. It's kind of like a batting average. You just have to hope your batting average is high."
Fortunately, Harris had constant support and aid from writer-director Robbie Pickering.
"He really knew what he wanted," she said, "and he would push me because he knew what I was capable of. And you want that in your director. You want them to push you to get to places you didn't know you were capable of getting to. He was hands-on in the best way."
Working with Matt O'Leary, who plays Raymond in the film, was also a joy for Harris.
"We were just really lucky that we genuinely liked each other, on-screen and off," she said.
Despite the wonderful cast and crew, making the movie proved challenging for all involved, in part because of the film's shoestring budget. Filming took place during a period of just 18 days on location in Texas. Despite shabby trailers, rushed shooting and sleep deprivation, however, Natural Selection has received rave reviews for its screenplay, its direction and its pitch-perfect performances.
"It's a really funny, touching road trip that takes you to unexpected places, but is ultimately very satisfying," Harris said.
Be sure to check out Harris' work in Natural Selection, showing at the Virginia Film Festival Saturday, Nov. 5 at the Culbreth Theater - tickets are free for students through the U.Va. Arts Box Office. Harris and Pickering will be in attendance to answer questions about the film.
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