Rachel Blanchard

The Weight of Blonde Hair

Rachel Blanchard didn't chase quick fame because she had known it since childhood. Before turning ten, she was working in Canadian television and was part of the cast of The Kids of Degrassi Street. In 1988, she joined the TV version of War of the Worlds, and that set the pace of her work for the decades that followed. There was no room for breaks.

In 1996, she took on a challenge that would have overwhelmed any other young actress. She had to replace Alicia Silverstone in the TV adaptation of Clueless. Audiences watched her closely and comparisons were inevitable. But Blanchard held her ground for three seasons and 62 episodes without trying to imitate her predecessor.

And the gamble paid off.

After the show ended in 1999, she decided her career would not be a repeat of high school roles. In 2000, she shot Road Trip under the direction of Todd Phillips. It was a raunchy comedy with a budget of $16 million that multiplied its box office investment. Blanchard played the perfect girlfriend, but her eye was already looking for projects with more edge.

The British connection and auteur cinema

Many American actors get stuck in the domestic market. Blanchard preferred to cross the pond. In 2004, she joined the British cult comedy Peep Show to play Nancy. Her ability to grasp the dry humor of Robert Webb and David Mitchell made her a standout for European critics.

In 2005, she worked with Atom Egoyan on Where the Truth Lies. It was a deliberate choice to step away from commercial Hollywood productions. In this film she shared the screen with Kevin Bacon and Colin Firth in a film noir plot set in the 1950s. The movie competed for the Palme d'Or at Cannes and showed a much rawer side of the actress.

But film has a long memory.

Despite her forays into drama, she never fully abandoned smart comedy. In 2007, she joined Flight of the Conchords for HBO. She needed only a couple of episodes to prove her comedic timing was still sharp. During that period she alternated shoots in London with independent productions in Toronto.

Maturity in the streaming era

In 2014, Noah Hawley's series Fargo marked a technical turning point in her career. She played Kitty Nygaard and fit perfectly into the tone of magical realism and icy violence of Minnesota. The production won the Emmy for Outstanding Limited Series, and Blanchard proved that her presence added weight to high-caliber ensemble casts.

Two years later came the project that would occupy much of her time for five years. In 2016, she began starring in You Me Her as Izzy. The series explored polyamory in a suburban setting and moved away from the usual moral judgments. Blanchard filmed 50 episodes of the show until its conclusion in 2020.

And the gamble paid off.

In 2022, she joined the series The Summer I Turned Pretty, playing Susannah Fisher. It's a role that calls for extreme emotional restraint due to the character's dramatic nature. That same year, she played Kristin in the thriller Deep Water, directed by Adrian Lyne. The film had an estimated budget of $48 million.