Rachel Paulson Makes Film Debut in ‘Good Kisser’

Like her older sisters Sarah and Liz, Rachel Paulson knew she would pursue a career in the entertainment industry. It’s in her blood.

Now an actress and writer, Paulson stars in the web series Dating Zoe, hosts the video series Drink Responsibly with Rachel Paulson, and co-hosts the Gay vs. Straight Bitches podcast alongside One Tree Hill alum Lindsey McKeon. Last year, she was cast in her first leading role in Wendy Jo Carlton’s feature film Good Kisser, which is now available to stream, purchase or rent.

OUT FRONT got to learn more about Paulson’s experience, how her sisters helped prepare her for the film, and what more she hopes to accomplish with her platform as a LGBTQ entertainer and creator.

Hi, Rachel! Thank you for taking the time to chat with me about Good Kisser. Congrats on this being your first feature role! How does that feel?
Thank you! It’s been crazy. I have been in a lot of little things like web series, but it was so amazing to have Good Kisser do so well and have it not only my first feature, but to have a lead role. It was such a cool experience. Working with Wendy Jo and all of the other girls was amazing, also.

What was it like to work with all of these amazing women?
Honestly, I really didn’t know what to expect. When I got on set, we did a chemistry read with the three girls, and I had met Wendy Jo a long time ago, like five years ago, and she said she was going to write a role in a film for me. I was like, ‘Wow, really?’ She said yeah, but then I never heard from her. You know, in L.A., people say these things, and then they never happen.

So, five years go by, and she said she has this movie, and I was like, OK? Like wow, blast from the past. I didn’t know what to expect, and when I got on set, it was just so lovely. It was nice to watch her really spearhead this entire thing, and Julia and Kari are so talented. Most of the crew were either women or queer of some sort, so it was really great. Wendy is so amazing to work with, and she’s really an actor’s director. It was such a blessing. Can you tell us more about your character, Kate?
So, Kate is, she comes off as a little bit awful [laughs]. There are so many nuances in her, and hopefully I brought that to the table. I think by the end of the film, you kind of realize that she’s actually not horrible. She’s more, you know, insecure and doesn’t know who she is. I think it becomes uncovered as you watch her get in this struggle that’s unfolding in front of your eyes.

At the top of the movie, she’s really fun and loving, makes a mean drink and is an amazing bartender, then you start to peel the layers back and realize that Kate is a person who’s anxious and has some secrets but really isn’t telling the truth to either one of the two people that she claims to care for. It was a very interesting role for me. Some of it is very much me; some of it is not at all.

How did you prepare yourself for this role?
You know, like I said, some of it is very much me. I use to bartend for 10 years and use to do things like that in my past, so there were a couple of those things that were very true to who I am. I think Kate is a little bit funny and kind of a comic relief in the film as well, so that was also a little bit of my style. I think everything else, I really did have to go to a place where I felt there was a darker version of me. A little bit like, how would it feel if someone did this to me?

I think that is kind of where I started, and that was my sort of point of reference. I was like, if this is happening to me, how would I feel? Then I sort of twisted it and looked in the mirror and thought, how would I feel if I was doing this to someone? So, I think that is kind of what I did. I had to be the darker version of myself.

With this being your first feature-film role, what did you take away from this experience?
I really hope every movie is that great to work on, honestly. I can’t imagine that it is, but it was truly like a summer camp. The other two girls I worked with were so great, and the three of us really bonded. We are still very good friends to this day. Julie and I talk basically every single day, and we are working on another project together.

I think I really just took away relationships and a great experience and getting to play in a world that I was fairly familiar with because it’s a queer-centric film. I think it was so cool to work with so many talented people, and I really think my main thing is, I hope people are getting from them film what we put into it.

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Good Kisser was shot in 12 days. How challenging was that for you? Were there any other major challenges?
It was very quick, and I think that was the only challenge. I think within that challenge, there were a lot of little challenges, like we didn’t have any time rehearsals, and this is so dialogue-driven. They were like, ‘You should really come in off-book. You should basically know the thing like a play.’ Like, oh my god, that’s crazy. Usually, when you do a feature or any type of television role or movie role, you learn the pages as you go. With Good Kisser, we basically had to learn the entire script from start to finish. There wasn’t much rehearsal time.

The second thing that was a really big challenge was that our sleep schedules were really off because we would shoot at night. We were on night shoots for, like, 13 days. We would start work at 5:00 p.m. and be done at 5:00 a.m. By the time we got home, showered, we would go to bed at 6 and wake up at 3. By that time, we would have time for a run, then go back to the set. I was very go, go, go, go, go for 12 days. It was exhausting. I think all of us were losing our voices by the end, and we were drinking on the last day, tequila shots. I think that was really the only challenge, but I am very impressed by how it turned out in 12 days. It’s pretty great.

As the youngest sister of Sarah and Liz Paulson, it is evident that acting, writing, and producing runs in your family. Has this always been your passion?
Yeah. There’s never been anything else that I really wanted to do or thought I could do. I went to a performing arts high school and then college and then moved out here right off the bat. Like great, I’m going to really try and do this.

Both of my sisters put me in stuff when I was little. Sarah use to do plays around the house that I would be forced to be in because I lived there, so, it’s got to be in my blood somewhere. I think it just kind of happened, and then I was like, this is all I have ever really known. It’s all I have ever really wanted. I was doing plays when I was a kid and community theatre. I have always kind of known that this is what it was going to be. Did either Sarah or Liz offer any sisterly or professional advice?
They did. I actually contacted both of them. I asked Sarah to read the script and give me some advice, and she ended up doing that. Then I asked Liz for some help with the contracts because it was an indie film, so my managers, they really don’t make money, they don’t really negotiate for you. So, I asked Liz for contract help and Sarah for script help. They were both very helpful and connected.

It sounds like you are very close with your sisters.
I am. Sarah lives a lot of the time in New York and just bought a place in L.A., but I have been quarantining with Liz and her family. We have a place up in the mountains, and we are kind of all just here.

Do you want to dabble more in acting or work more in writing and producing?
You know, I actually hate producing. It’s like a nightmare, I can’t stand it. I only do it when I have to, and it’s because I’m doing projects that are my own or lower budget, and we can’t afford to hire somebody, so I just do it myself. I think I’m going to stay away from that if I can. ‘

As for acting and writing, I don’t know. I would like to do both. I have a script that I am developing right now that Liz is going to produce. I can’t tell you what it’s called yet, but it will be out eventually. We are getting the final stages together. I have another film that I shot in December, so it should be out sometime soon, hopefully. Both acting and writing challenge me in certain ways, and they are both different, and I would love to do them both.

What more do you hope to accomplish with your platform as a LGBTQ actress?
My goal as an actor and creator, I always want LGBTQ stories to be seen and heard just like everyone else. Our love stories are just like your love stories. We do the same thing. We eat the same food and work out at the same places.

There are a lot of shows in television and movies that are doing this now, but I want it all to encompass the same world. I think LGBTQ movies can play at mainstream film festivals. I want it to all encompass the same world, and I think we can get there. We are the first step in the entertainment industry. As for the world getting there, we have to start by showing it through our eyes and have that be the case; then the rest of the world will kind of follow suit, hopefully.

I also want to make people feel like it’s OK to be in that community and that you feel safe. I want people to watch and read my work and know that they can feel safe. People can always reach out to me; I answer a lot of people on Instagram. They can contact me and ask questions and things like that—within reason [laughs]. It’s very important to me, and I think this community is so important. The only way to tell the stories is through the entertainment industry, so that is why it’s important to me to be here. I hope people are listening, and I hope they are getting the message that I am putting out.

To stay up-to-date with Paulson, follow her on social media. Good Kisser is now streaming on a variety of digital platforms including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Google Play.