Rachel Wheeler

Q: After reading the script, were you intrigued to do the film?
A: Yes, it was a once in a lifetime chance for me. I knew it would not be a romanticized version but a true reflection of history because of the integrity of the producers, directors and TNT.

Q: How is this series going to differ from the typical Western-style film?
A: In this series, you learn about each group in their own surroundings and through their eyes, which humanizes this story in a way that wasn’t present in the older Westerns. The older Westerns were romanticized by having beautiful women jumping on the backs of horses with cowboys or having evil plots. INTO THE WEST shows the true, harsh reality of the settlers and the Natives’ lives – wagon trains crossing rivers and the devastation of losing people along the way.

Q: Tell me about your character.
A: Rachel is the middle child of the Wheeler family. When she sees her cousins leaving to venture out West, she thinks there is nothing left for her in Wheelerton and joins them on their journey. As the story unfolds, Rachel, who was the most energetic and excited about going, becomes incredibly disappointed, devastated and terrified with all the events that happen on the wagon train.

Q: What are some of the themes in this series?
A: It is an incredibly exciting story – the audience will fall in love with the epic nature of the series, the land, the drama and the characters. The main theme is survival, everyone surviving their circumstances: the Native Americans watching the world change in a very upsetting and different way and the settlers trying to make their way across to a new world.

Q: What does Steven Spielberg bring to this project?
A: He’s so involved in the story and how it is going be told. He is truly invested in the accuracy, which is a source of pride for him. As an actor, when you become part of a project, you have hopes that whoever is at the helm is doing their homework.

Back » Forward » Home