Rachel Michiko Whitney

About Me
 

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Thank you so much for being here!

 

Rachel very much dislikes writing about herself but writing in the third person makes it slightly less uncomfortable.

 

She grew up in Scarsdale, NY where she barely raised her hand in class but expressed herself creatively through loud fashion choices, short films, and skits where she got to speak with a British accent. She dreamed of following in her mother’s footsteps; of being an actress.

 

You can now see her in a scene opposite Oscar Isaac in Paul Schrader’s THE CARD COUNTER. She also acted with George Takei in a short film AMERICAN about the Japanese American Internment Camps. You can next see her in the late Brandon Murphy’s directorial debut film, comedy thriller, SNOW VALLEY. Coming Soon. 💫

 

She’s proud of her Mechanical Engineering Degree from Duke because math, science, and problem solving are cool. But also because she can brag that all her classmates are now changing the world. What she’s really most proud of is founding Duke Asian American Theater (DAAT). She saw firsthand that when you create opportunities for the Asian American community in the arts, they show up and they shine. And now, Rachel is most passionate about telling stories about the Japanese American experience. 

 

Her first script, inspired by her grandparents meeting during WWII in a Japanese American internment camp in Rohwer, AR, was a Nicholl Fellowship Quarterfinalist. She's now writing the next generation JA story inspired by her mom- about a Japanese American actress trying to make it in 1980s Hollywood. She made a short film with her friend Naomi Sedgwick 100% HALF that they developed into a half hour comedy series about mixed Asian women navigating work, family, dating, and friendship in LA. 

 

Outside of work she can be seen spending way too much money at Erewhon or becoming way too emotionally invested in Duke basketball. 💙💙