Growing up in a small town outside of Seattle, Rachel Boudwin initially didn’t see much hope in the opportunity to become a working actress. “Saying that you wanted to be a movie star was like saying you wanted to be a rocket scientist,” jokes Boudwin. Her brother now works at SpaceX, and she is a working actress, with her project, Boot Camp, set to debut on August 2nd, marking a satisfying twist of fate. This will be her feature-film debut. During our interview, she opened up about her love for acting, her journey thus far, and Boot Camp. 

Boot Camp is available now on Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime Video, as well as in select theaters.

“Since I could remember, I just fell in love with that feeling of being on the stage and in the spotlight,” said Boudwin.

Boudwin credits her father for noticing her penchant for acting at a young age. “Honestly, since I got out of the womb, I wanted to perform, and I was always dancing, singing, or just being dramatic,” she says. She performed in several school plays a year from kindergarten to fifth grade; these experiences, she says, gave her a place to express herself amid shyness and social anxiety.

Boudwin is incredibly open about her upbringing. She describes her upbringing with a single father and a lack of female role models in her life. “I found a lot of that while watching movies, and I think that was my escape. It was seeing these strong female characters come to life and seeing myself in them as well,” says Boudwin. She came of age when Jennifer Lawrence brought Katniss Everdeen to life in the Hunger Games series. She attributes her decision to become an actress to the inspiration she found in strong female characters like Katniss.

“After four years, I felt kind of discouraged, but luckily, I did a showcase, and an agent saw me from that. And about two months after I signed with her, I auditioned for Boot Camp,” says Boudwin. 

Boudwin shares that before cinching Boot Camp, the odds seemed stacked against her — she had spent four years in L.A. after moving to the city at 18. She didn’t have an agent, despite several student short films on her résumé. She felt discouraged by not having representation when so many of her peers did. On top of that, she endured countless questions about what her plan B would be if she didn’t find success. A family friend even asked her, about a year before being cast in Boot Camp, when she was going to give up. “I was like, ‘When I die,’ right?”

“It just felt like a dream come true, and something that my 5-year-old self would only dream about,” says Boudwin regarding securing the role of Whitney in Boot Camp and filming. 

Boot Camp, based on the novel by Gina Musa and originally published on Wattpad, gives a fresh take on the coming-of-age romantic comedy. High schooler Whitney spends her summer at a sleepaway fitness camp, seeking to enhance her physical health and boost her self-confidence following school bullying. Though climbing rope ladders, playing tennis, and even a food fight comes with the territory, Whitney doesn’t plan on falling for her “sadist”—and hot—personal trainer, Axel (Riverdale‘s Drew Ray Tanner).

From the start, Boudwin knew Boot Camp was a meaningful project. “To go after what you want knowing you might fail—I know just how scary that can be.” Boudwin interprets this line from her character, Whitney, as the film’s central thesis. “That just made me drop the script and start bawling,” Boudwin says, “because I was like, Oh, this is me.”

On set, Whitney’s uplifting quote resonated: Boudwin had to jump from a 50-foot pedestal on the busiest filming day. There wasn’t time for numerous takes, and her fear of heights made her doubtful. Boudwin says, “And someone said, ‘Just bring out your inner Irabel and scream as loud as you can,’” referring to Whitney’s film alter ego. “The most amazing, exhilarating feeling.”

Irabel is a superhero-like character who Whitney channels when she faces challenges at camp. Initially, Boudwin thought another actress would play Irabel during the filming, but she discovered during a discussion with the wardrobe department about Irabel’s warrior costume that she would be playing both roles. It was a lesson in confidence, Boudwin says, teaching her that she was capable of tackling difficult tasks on her own. “I think that speaks to the heart of the film that, you know, she is me; it’s just me in a cool costume.” Boudwin’s preferred alter ego? “Black Widow,” she says.

As the conversation came to a conclusion, Boudwin described how she developed a genuine connection with the Boot Camp cast and crew. “They all shine so brightly in this film,” she boasts. “I felt as though we were all going to summer camp and bonding, and we were all so excited to be doing this amazing thing.”

Photography Credit: Stephanie Girard