Lesley Bryce
Interviews
Rachele Brooke Smith – Center Stage: On Pointe
By: Lisa Steinberg
Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?
A) I am so excited! I’ve been working super hard. I grew up being a competitive gymnast so I’ve been very driven from a very young age. I’ve done a lot of films over the last few years and they are all coming out back-to-back. So, it’s a very exciting time in my acting career. I have Center Stage: On Pointe coming out. Then, I’m very excited about kind of another dream come true story because I had been saying I wanted to get into action films. After gymnastics, I got really into martial arts and fighting. I got a little obsessed with kicking ass and pushing myself to the limit. I love characters though that show so much strength and making the impossible possible. I got to play one of those characters in a Syfy film that comes out July 24th. It’s going to kick off Shark Week. I was really excited to hear from the Syfy network that it was one of their favorite shark films they’ve ever had. We worked really hard on that movie and we shot it in Puerto Rico for months. It was one of the best experiences and I have some battle scars from the experience. Then, I have a film called Cold Moon that comes out in October. It’s a suspense thriller where I play Belinda Hale. She is the light of the film during the dark, suspenseful stuff. I get to be the comedic relief in that one. I have pieces of all my characters that stay with me. I go to Belinda a lot when I have bad days because she just makes me happy. I just love playing Southern characters. I’m very excited for people to see that. I got to play opposite Christopher Lloyd in that one and that was so cool because I grew up watching Back to the Future.
Q) What made you originally want to be a part of Center Stage?
A) I have a YouTube video I put out about my Center Stage story and how special it was for me. I watched the first movie in the theater and just cried. I wouldn’t leave and everyone was looking for me after the film was over because I just sat in my seat with goosebumps and an overwhelming feeling of just knowing that it was what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to be like that girl up on the screen and it really inspired me that day and at a really hard time in my life. Right after I had broken my hand and had surgery, I had to quit gymnastics – something I had done my whole life. There were ups and downs also along the way. I got to play the lead in the sequel that literally changed my life and I had watched on a regular basis to motivate me when I got sad and discouraged. That story, especially, is what really inspired my whole brand and company. To come back as Kate in the third one is such a dream come true.
Q) How do you stay so focused and motivated?
A) Someone asked me recently how dance helps me prepare for acting. Movement, in general, is so important. I always use training and movement before working on characters, scenes or even before I start my day. I always have these dance parties first thing when I wake up because it totally changes my mood and gets me excited for the day. Being able to move around, jump and celebrate life first thing every day (even if I’m not feeling the best) makes such a difference in my life. I play the “Action Hero Playlist” from iTunes and it really is all of those things put together. I wanted to put out inspirational content that people could listen to before a meeting, an audition, interview or workout just so they can be inspired and remind them of all of the awesomeness that I think is in everybody. A lot of times we need to be reminded of that and even if they listen to it for five minutes to listen to something that does that helps.
Q) What were your thoughts on revisiting Center Stage?
A) I was in my car and my manager called me and said they were seeing if I was interest. I was like, “Yes!’ I was so excited because playing Kate in a sequel is beyond amazing. We got to go back to Vancouver and got to work with even some of the same crew. It was so special because they are like family. The second film is really so much about my little sister, Bella (Nicole Munoz). Here we are seven years later and to see all she has been doing and for her seeing what I’ve been doing – and seeing all of these people who were such a big turning part in my life – it was so cool to see them again. When I read the script for the third one, it kind of mirrored my real life with my real sister. So much so that I was asking the writers, “Did you follow me around? How did you know?” [laughs] Kate comes back after doing all these amazing things with her life and her little sister watching her is what the third one is about. It’s a beautiful story.
Q) How do you feel about passing the torch in a sense to Bella?
A) Nicole told me she had no idea about this. Before they approached her about doing the movie, she had said she was done with dancing. So, it was a big challenge for her because she hadn’t danced for a while. It was very exciting and so cool to get to support her. I have a very special connection with her that it feels like we are sisters. I’m just really proud of her and really excited to get to see it because I haven’t seen the whole thing yet.
Q) Where did you tap into or draw from to get back into her?
A) I hadn’t seen Center Stage in quite some time so to get back into Kate I watched it again. It was interesting because something that special just brings up so many memories. I remember how on that film how much pressure I felt. I had a lot of fear and self doubt and anxiety, but one of my favorite things is overcoming that and it inspired me to work that much harder and be that much better. It was so cool to really watch Center Stage: Turn It Up again to relive all those moments and remind myself what I did since it was a long time ago. It’s really easy, for some reason, to hold on to things that we didn’t like what we did. It’s harder to celebrate some of the awesome stuff we do in life. It was a reminder to me to look back and celebrate your wins because it keeps you going. Watching it and also Center Stage: Turn It Up, I realized Kate had done all these amazing things in her life and then what it was like for her to go from being a star to being similar to what I feel like in my real life…It’s crazy how much it mirrors my real life, having done these huge performances. I almost start tearing up talking about it because it’s so special to me.
Q) What are some new moves fans can look forward to seeing?
A) I’ve been doing a countdown to the film with some Facebook live videos teaching different dances for people to get ready for the movie. My best friend, Nikki SooHoo, and I are launching Destructive Apparel. All the shirts have different messages on them. With that, we are doing a lot of workshops within the dancing and cheerleading world because we did Bring It On: Fight to the Finish We’re passionate to inspire young actors, dancers and cheerleaders to find their unique awesomeness within themselves to be better people and performers every day.
Q) You are a part of social media. Do you enjoy the instant fan feedback you receive?
A) The word “fans” for me has always been interesting to me. I studied Psychology in college because I have a fascination of why we do what we do and why people are the way they are. I really think I have to use all of my success to do that, really help them stay curious about life and people with what they are doing to be better every day? I want to help people make the world a better place. Everyone who messages me on social media is an actual person with real stories, challenges, hopes and dreams. I think sometimes it can be really easy to forget that so I try to remind myself of that. One of my shirts says, “Life Before Likes.” We’re on a big media health push to help remind people to put their real life before social media and to remember it doesn’t matter how many followers they have. I love social media and think it is an amazing way to connect with people and share inspiring messages. It’s also important to remember that our real life comes first.
Q) What else would you like to be sure we share with fans?
A) I also have Chalk It Up, which is a gymnastic film I have coming up. It was really fun to star in this gymnastics film with some of my best friends. I was such a tomboy or always so different that the people I grew up with weren’t really close friends with me. I’ve really made that as a priority in my life and now I have really supportive and creative friends. We have kind of helped each other and are working on a lot of the same projects because we fight for each other. It’s cool to have friends like that because in this industry many people look out for themselves. When you look out for other people, everything comes back ten folds. Maddy and Nikki both starred in Stick It and Maddy took it upon herself to write, producer and star in the unofficial follow up. I’m also working on a film right now called Bomb City in Dallas that is a true story. I know it is going to have such an impact on people that might look different form them.
Connect with Rachele Brooke Smith:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/action-hero-at-life-ep/id1097271504
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