New Faces NJ: Rachel Moss

A talented high school student aims high.

Most high schoolers struggle to balance their studies, extracurricular activities, and friends. Rachel Moss of Morristown manages to juggle them all – and a budding acting career.

Moss has a recurring role on the hit soap opera One Life to Live, but the 15-year-old’s resume is packed with other appearances, including commercials for Pepsi and Playhouse Disney, graduate student-produced films at NYU, and theatrical performances off Broadway and at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn.

At age 3, Moss started dancing. At age 5, she started acting. And at age 9, she landed her first major role in the off Broadway show The People Garden, which she credits with launching her career and introducing her to most of her acting friends. Moss also credits her supportive parents for her success.

“Trust me, if I did not enjoy it, I would have told my parents,” says Moss. “They’ve put in the time and money to what I really want to do.”

Despite her accomplishments, Moss is still very much a typical Facebook-addicted teenage girl. “I’m very prone to working and auditioning and I want to do anything that’s going to boost my career in any way,” says Moss. “But I do like normal teenage things, like going to the mall and movies with friends.”

This fall, Moss will begin her sophomore year at Morristown-Beard High School, where she’s involved with the Forensics Team and the a capella group, the Crimsingers. In her freshman year, Moss appeared in her first high school production, but only in the ensemble due to time constraints caused by an off Broadway commitment.

“Yes I’m busy some days more than others,” says Moss. “I just want to have as much time with my friends and with schoolwork as I do with my acting career.”

Moss is realistic about her future and how acting will fit into her life. “It’s always fun and, of course, I’d always continue acting no matter what I do,” says Moss. “But a lot of people who I have worked with who are older than me have trouble supporting themselves. So I’ll definitely have to at least do something on the side.”

If she doesn’t pursue acting full-time in her future, Moss could see herself attending NYU and becoming a nutritionist.

“As long as I’m happy, I honestly don’t care how I spend my life,” she concludes. “I guess you have to follow what your heart says.”

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