A new theatrical version of Harry Potter & the Cursed Child opened on Broadway, New York, and Culver City actress Rachel Christopher is among the cast members. Christopher plays beloved character Hermione Granger.
Christopher has been acting since elementary school–she told the News that she was new to a small school in Sherman Oaks and had finally made one real friend.
“She told me that she wanted to audition for the school musical,” Christopher said. “I cheered her on but told her I never could and never would. I loved storytelling but was very shy. She encouraged and pushed me forward when the audition day came. I surprised myself and everyone else when I got the lead role and I have been in love with theater ever since.”
The actress lived in Culver City for most of her childhood. “I went to a boarding school in Claremont (The Webb Schools) and went East for college and graduate school,” she said. “Amidst all that movement, Culver City was always my home base. While the East Coast has served as my artistic hub these few years, I always consider Culver City as the place I go to recharge and be around the folks who believed in me first. That In-n-Out by LAX airport doesn’t hurt either.”
When considering her career highlights to date, Christopher said that she’s been lucky to work with some extraordinary artists in film and theater.
“I will say a moment of profound joy was my Broadway debut, for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf, at the Booth Theatre,” she said. “One of my dear mentors, Laurie Carlos, originated a role in the original historic production, in that same theater, nearly 45 years earlier. It was a moment of full circle joy that filled me with deep gratitude, courage, and purpose.”
For Harry Potter & the Cursed Child, Christopher had to pass multiple rounds of auditions.
“The Harry Potter team invests much care in how they build a company and select collaborators,” she said. “The process was filled with a lot of creativity and generosity, something that all the best auditions have.”
Thankfully, the actress is a huge Harry Potter fan. “My childhood friend and I used to wait at our local Barnes and Noble at midnight for the book releases and then finish them within the week,” she said. “I couldn’t have loved them more and they are still a means of connectivity and friendship.”
Similarly, Hermione Granger has always been Christopher’s favorite character.
“Reading the books, I identified with her strongly, and I am enjoying externalizing the things that make her unique onstage,” she said. “While Hermione is often known for her intelligence and quick mind, I have the most fun engaging with her playfulness and deep wells of loyalty. Hermione is a fierce friend and an enviable partner in crime. She works hard and loves harder. It is exciting to introduce the audience to the adult version of her that can still solve problems with the best of ‘em and not hesitate to release into laughter, affection and simple pleasure.”
Beyond this play, Christopher has a lot planned as she looks to the future.
“I was quite busy before our show began. I was developing and performing in a new work with Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare, and closed the Broadway premiere of the Tony Nominated Jaja’s African Hair Braiding,” she said. “Now that I am onstage at Hogwarts 8 times a week, for the time being, my calendar is beautifully stacked!”