Senna Wales
11-24-2002, 08:34 PM
I don't know if this has been posted, but oh well.
Gotham's New Gal
Rachel Skarsten is a bird of prey who's a triple threat--and so much more.
You've heard of triple-threat celebs like J.Lo who can sing, dance and act. But what do you call a 17-year-old who can do all that plus play cello, speak Norwegian and who happens to be a championship hockey player? There isn't a term for a star with that much goin' on...yet. But don't be surprised if they start calling supercelebs who do it all "Skarstens," after newcomer Rachel Skarsten.
Imported Talent
Where did Rachel get all her talent? She grew up in Toronto, Canada, but her family hails from Norway (that's why she speaks Norwegian). She wanted to be a dancer and studied with Toronto's Royal Academy of Dance. Then Rachel had a growth spurt that didn't stop. Pretty soon, she was way too tall to make it as a prima ballerina. "Actually, I'm 5'10 and that's never a good thing in ballet," she admits. But she didn't let her height get in the way of other dreams. Rachel turned to music and she studied at the Claude Watson Art School where she was the featured cellist in the orchestra. Even now, she still finds time to play both the cello and piano and she loves to sing.
She Shoots, She Scores
For Rachel, life's about more than just school and music. She needed a physical activity to burn off some of her endless energy. So she turned to the white-knuckled sport of hockey (it's a Canadian obsession). Yep, this tall blonde beauty plays a mean goalie on her championship team, The Leaside Wildcats. "I was first into ballet then I got into hockey and my mom thought I was becoming a manchild or something," she says. But you can't take the ballerina out of this puck chaser. "It's funny because when I go into a hockey shop I say, 'Oh, I love those pads, they would match my uniform.' So I'm still very much a girlie girl."
A Sidestep
When Rachel was just nine, her dad passed away. "He died of colon cancer," she explains. "He had probably had it for a couple of years and we didn't know about it. When they finally found it, he lived [for] two months." After her father's death, Rachel had to refocus her dreams because of the family's finances. "It's not like we were living on the streets, but we didn't have enough money for something as frivolous as an [acting] portfolio." But fate came knocking when she sang at an event honoring her father. A talent agent saw Rachel's performance and, as they say in Hollywood, a star was born.
Metagirl
After appearing in the short-lived TV show Little Men, Rachel rejoined the growing league of female superheros playing Dinah on The WB's Bird's of Prey. Her character is a runaway with special metahuman powers. She joins Batgirl and Huntress (the daughter of Batman and Catwoman) to form the crime-fighting femme trio that keep the streets of New Gotham safe.
The New Hollywoo
Being a superhero is tough work, but Rachel's hockey playing has kept her fit for the high-octane moves she doles out on Birds of Prey. "Hockey's been wonderful for keeping me in shape," she admits. For most Hollywood ladies, though, thighs of steel are not the norm. Rachel explains, "They weren't ready for me! All the clothes are a size 2 and I'm like...well, I'm sorry, I have monster thighs and you are just going to have to deal with that." Our advice to Hollywood: Get ready. This supercool Canadian is going to be scoring in Tinsel Town for a long time to come.
There was a pic of her and then there was a pinup of all three of them.
Gotham's New Gal
Rachel Skarsten is a bird of prey who's a triple threat--and so much more.
You've heard of triple-threat celebs like J.Lo who can sing, dance and act. But what do you call a 17-year-old who can do all that plus play cello, speak Norwegian and who happens to be a championship hockey player? There isn't a term for a star with that much goin' on...yet. But don't be surprised if they start calling supercelebs who do it all "Skarstens," after newcomer Rachel Skarsten.
Imported Talent
Where did Rachel get all her talent? She grew up in Toronto, Canada, but her family hails from Norway (that's why she speaks Norwegian). She wanted to be a dancer and studied with Toronto's Royal Academy of Dance. Then Rachel had a growth spurt that didn't stop. Pretty soon, she was way too tall to make it as a prima ballerina. "Actually, I'm 5'10 and that's never a good thing in ballet," she admits. But she didn't let her height get in the way of other dreams. Rachel turned to music and she studied at the Claude Watson Art School where she was the featured cellist in the orchestra. Even now, she still finds time to play both the cello and piano and she loves to sing.
She Shoots, She Scores
For Rachel, life's about more than just school and music. She needed a physical activity to burn off some of her endless energy. So she turned to the white-knuckled sport of hockey (it's a Canadian obsession). Yep, this tall blonde beauty plays a mean goalie on her championship team, The Leaside Wildcats. "I was first into ballet then I got into hockey and my mom thought I was becoming a manchild or something," she says. But you can't take the ballerina out of this puck chaser. "It's funny because when I go into a hockey shop I say, 'Oh, I love those pads, they would match my uniform.' So I'm still very much a girlie girl."
A Sidestep
When Rachel was just nine, her dad passed away. "He died of colon cancer," she explains. "He had probably had it for a couple of years and we didn't know about it. When they finally found it, he lived [for] two months." After her father's death, Rachel had to refocus her dreams because of the family's finances. "It's not like we were living on the streets, but we didn't have enough money for something as frivolous as an [acting] portfolio." But fate came knocking when she sang at an event honoring her father. A talent agent saw Rachel's performance and, as they say in Hollywood, a star was born.
Metagirl
After appearing in the short-lived TV show Little Men, Rachel rejoined the growing league of female superheros playing Dinah on The WB's Bird's of Prey. Her character is a runaway with special metahuman powers. She joins Batgirl and Huntress (the daughter of Batman and Catwoman) to form the crime-fighting femme trio that keep the streets of New Gotham safe.
The New Hollywoo
Being a superhero is tough work, but Rachel's hockey playing has kept her fit for the high-octane moves she doles out on Birds of Prey. "Hockey's been wonderful for keeping me in shape," she admits. For most Hollywood ladies, though, thighs of steel are not the norm. Rachel explains, "They weren't ready for me! All the clothes are a size 2 and I'm like...well, I'm sorry, I have monster thighs and you are just going to have to deal with that." Our advice to Hollywood: Get ready. This supercool Canadian is going to be scoring in Tinsel Town for a long time to come.
There was a pic of her and then there was a pinup of all three of them.