Rachel Naomi Hilson (born October 30, 1995) is an American actress. She started her career in 2010 with a recurring role on the CBS legal drama The Good Wife as Nisa Dalmar. She has also had recurring roles on NBC's Rise and This Is Us and a starring role on the Hulu teen drama Love, Victor.
Rachel Hilson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Rachel Naomi Hilson October 30, 1995 |
| Alma mater | New York University |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2010–present |
Early life and education
editRachel Naomi Hilson was born on October 30, 1995, in Baltimore, Maryland.[1][2] She is the daughter of Anita and Robert Hilson. She has a sister named Kimberly.[3][4]
Discovery
editHilson began dancing at age 3.[3] While she had many aspirations like other kids her age, including being a surgeon, an astronaut thanks to Mae Jemison, a news anchor and an author, having written and illustrated books on printer paper, her passions for dance stuck. Hilson told Backstage "I dedicated my life to Nutcrackers, spring recitals, dance camps" and recreating scenes from the 2000 movie Center Stage, starring Zoe Saldaña as Eva.[5]
Hilson was discovered by an agent at age 12 and took up acting.[6] That summer, her mother convinced Hilson to attend the Broadway Artist Alliance in New York. While she auditioned for the dance division, Hilson also had to read sides and perform a song.
She was then recruited by her future agent, Nancy Carson of the Carson-Adler Agency, to dance in episodes of the children's musical series, LazyTown. After traveling to Iceland with her mom for the tapings, Hilson signed with Carson a few months later. From there, she auditioned for the Baltimore School for the Arts (BSA).[5]
Secondary School
editAt BSA, Hilson continued dancing and acting, but also participated in sports.[3] Hilson credited her high school theater program with helping her overcome her shyness.[7]
University
editAfter high school, Hilson attended the New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study where she created her own curriculum.[8] Throughout her college career, Hilson appeared in several theater productions including Hamlet. She graduated in 2018 with a concentration in Writing and Performing Race.[9] In college, Hilson worked as a bread salesman, even servicing actress Lupita Nyong'o at one point.[10]
Career
edit2010–2018: The Good Wife and early roles
editLiving in Baltimore, Hilson, alongside her mother would take bus rides to New York for auditions. They felt encouraged when she booked her very first auditions, one of which was a short film and the other, The Good Wife where she recurred as Nisa.[5] This marked her television debut at 15 years of age. The series was headlined by Julianna Margulies and fellow BSA alumni Josh Charles.[3] In an essay for Backstage magazine, Hilson insisted that it was just luck as she faced rejected quite a bit after that.[5] However, Over the next decade, Hilson would appear as an episodic guest star in several prime time television series.[8] She has appeared in episodes of Royal Pains, Elementary, Nurse Jackie, The Affair, Madam Secretary, The Americans, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and First Wives Club.[11] Later, Hilson starred opposite Halle Berry in her first feature film, Kings which premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival.[9] The movie received a wide release in April 2018. Hilson admitted that she awkwardly confessed to having an allergic reaction to makeup when she first met Berry who gifted her with a facial kit. However, the project was a "dream come true" for Hilson. That same year, she recurred as Harmony on NBC's short lived musical drama, Rise. Hilson appeared in all 10 episodes and the role required her to sing and act. For Hilson, it was very reminiscent of her high school experience.[7]
2019–2022: This Is Us, Love, Victor and Winning Time
editIn 2019, Hilson would recur on This Is Us as the teenage version Beth Pearson, played by Susan Kelechi Watson. Hilson would work opposite Phylicia Rashad as Beth's mother.[2] Hilson, who didn't even own a tv at the time, binged the entire series after she booked the role.[12] On August 30, 2019, Hilson replaced Johnny Sequoyah as Mia in Love, Victor, the sequel to the 2018 film, Love, Simon due to a decision to take the character in a new creative direction.[13] Writers Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger actually retooled the character for Hilson.[14] Hilson had previously auditioned for the role of Abby in the movie which eventually went to Alexandra Shipp.[15] Mia would mark Hilson's first role as a series regular. Hilson later revealed that one of the producers at This Is Us had actually recommended her for the role of Mia.[8] Ironically, Hilson watched Love, Simon for the first time just before she won the role of Mia. After she booked the gig, she read Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, the novel that inspired the film. According to Hilson, Mia afforded her "the opportunity to tell a unique and nuanced story about a young Black teenage girl."[16] On August 21, 2021, Hilson joined the cast of HBO's Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.[17]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Cass | Cass Morris | Lead role |
| 2017 | Night | Jess | Short film |
| Kings | Nicole Patterson | Independent film | |
| 2019 | As they Slept | Eleanor | Short film |
| 2023 | Red, White & Royal Blue | Nora Holleran |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | The Good Wife | Nisa Dalmar | Recurring role: 7 Episodes |
| 2012 | Royal Pains | Niece 1 | Episode: "Sand Legs" |
| 2015 | Elementary | Lexi | Episode: "Seed Money" |
| The Slap | Liz | Episode: "Connie" | |
| Nurse Jackie | Patient | Episode: "Jackie and the Wolf" | |
| The Affair | Student Tour Guide | Episode: "208" | |
| 2016 | Madam Secretary | Becca | Episode: "Higher Learning" |
| 2017 | The Americans | Linda | Episode: "The Soviet Division" |
| 2018 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Tiana Williams | Episode: "Guardian" |
| Rise | Harmony Curtis | Recurring role: 10 Episodes | |
| 2019 | Fosse/Verdon | Jane | Episode: "Life Is a Cabaret" |
| First Wives Club | Megan | Episode: "Storytelling" | |
| This Is Us | Beth Clarke | Recurring role: 11 Episodes | |
| 2020 | High Maintenance | Hailey | Episode: "Backflash" |
| 2020–2022 | Love, Victor | Mia Brooks | Series regular |
| 2021 | American Horror Story: Double Feature | Jamie Howard | Main role: 4 Episodes |
| 2022 | Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty | Cindy Day | Main role |
| TBA | Duster | Nina | Upcoming series |
References
edit- ^ "Rachel Hilson - Actress". TV Insider. TVGM Holdings, LLC. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
- ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (February 7, 2019). "'This Is Us' Casts Young & Teen Beth; Carl Lumbly To Play Her Father". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Jackson, Kai (November 23, 2010). "Baltimore Teen To Debut On 'The Good Wife'". WJZ-TV. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
- ^ "Virginia Lawrence". Obituaries. Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald. July 28, 2009. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Hilson, Rachel (July 8, 2020). "'Love, Victor' Star Rachel Hilson's Secret to Success? Eternal Curiosity". Backstage. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- ^ Fujii, Andrea (January 16, 2012). "Baltimore Teenager Lands Recurring Role On CBS Hit Series 'The Good Wife'". WJZ-TV. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ a b Britto, Brittany (March 13, 2018). "Baltimore School for the Arts alum to appear in NBC drama 'Rise,' Halle Berry movie 'Kings'". The Baltimore Sun. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- ^ a b c Walsh, Erin (July 6, 2020). "RACHEL HILSON". sbjct. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ a b "Alumna Rachel Hilson Stars in "Love, Victor"". News. NYU Gallatin. June 17, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ Frederick, Candice (June 26, 2020). "'Love, Victor' Star Rachel Hilson Knows That Self-Care Is an Act of Resistance". Shondaland. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
- ^ Rueben (June 16, 2020). "Salute to Rising Stars". NiceGirlsTV.com. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ Danielle, Britni (February 19, 2020). "'This Is Us' Guest Star Rachel Hilson Talks Working With Phylicia Rashad And Playing Teenage Beth: 'Behind Every Strong Woman Is Some History'". Essence. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ Petski, Denise (August 30, 2019). "'Love, Simon': Rachel Naomi Hilson Joins Disney+ Series In Recasting". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ Trapunski, Charles (June 18, 2020). "INTERVIEW: LOVE, VICTOR'S RACHEL HILSON". Brief Take. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ Dominick, Nora (June 14, 2021). "Rachel Hilson On Being "Proud" Of Mia In "Love, Victor" Season 2 And How It Was Important Mia "Advocated" For Herself". BuzzFeed. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ Delgado, Sara (July 3, 2020). "interview | rachel hilson". Schön! Magazine. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (August 21, 2021). "Bo Burnham Exits HBO's LA Lakers Series, Five More Added to Cast". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved March 9, 2022.