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Entertainment September 21, 2017
This '90s actress will take you down memory lane.
Photo via ShutterstockIf you’re a ’90s baby, you most likely remember Rachael Leigh Cook from “She’s All That” (1999) and “Josie and the Pussycats” (2001). I mean, how can we forget Laney’s (Cook) epic transformation as the high school prom queen?
But if you’re confused and still have no idea who she is, it’s no worries. We’re here to help.
We’ve gathered the five top things you need to know about Rachael Leigh Cook and her career.
Before Rachael Leigh Cook became known for her acting, she began as a child print model.
Cook first appeared in a public service announcement for foster care at the age of seven. By the time she was 10, she was working as a print model. She was featured in nationwide advertisements for Target and appeared on the boxes of Milk-Bone dog biscuits.
And thanks to her modeling agency, Rachael Leigh Cook was sent to star in the short film, “26 Summer Street.” By this point in Cook’s career, she was starring in different films while still maintaining a modeling career.
In 2000, she was the covergirl for the March/April issue of “For Him Magazine,” and in 2002 she was ranked no. 26 in Stuff Magazine’s “102 Sexiest Women in the World.”
Rachael Leigh Cook has been a part of many movies and TV shows throughout her career.
She made her debut as an actress in the 1995 film “The Baby-Sitters Club,” based on Ann M. Martin’s book series of the same name.
But it wasn’t until 1999 when Cook landed her breakout role in the romantic comedy, “She’s All That.” The film continues to be the most financially successful film in her career. Rachael Leigh Cook was also the lead in “Josie and the Pussycats” back in 2001. Although the film turned out to be a box office failure, it didn’t stop Cook from acting. She has since moved from big productions to independent films and television shows.
In 2005, she appeared as a main cast member in the miniseries, “Into the West,” produced by Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks.
Rachael Leigh Cook is married the the one and only Daniel Gillies, who plays Elijah Mikaelson on CW’s “The Originals.”
The couple tied the knot in 2004, after less than a year of dating. But although they were in a rush to marry, the two waited to have children and settle down. Rachael Leigh Cook and Daniel Gillies waited nine years, to be exact.
Now, the two are parents to two kids: Charlotte Easton Gillies, born September 2013, and Theodore Vigo Sullivan Gillies, born April 2015.
When asked about how she balances her career as a wife and a mother, Cook told WetPaint, “I don’t think I’ll ever completely put work aside, but that’s just part of who I am. I think that loving what you do and having your child see that is a good example to set. That’s the plan and I’m sticking with it.”
Rachael Leigh Cook was selected by the Obama Administration in 2011 as a Champion of Change for Arts Education advocate.
She began awarding scholarships to people between the ages of 14 and 19 to help pay for career classes and mentoring programs in 2012. Obama’s Champions of Change program is designed to give Americans from a variety of backgrounds the opportunity to discuss their views with the administration.
While Rachael Leigh Cook took time out of the spotlight to focus on short films, she is back.
In 2012, Cook signed up to play the female role in TNT’s crime drama series “Perception.” The show was cancelled in 2015 after just three seasons, but it gave her fanbase something to get excited about.
Recently, Cook starred in the Hallmark Channel movie, “Summer in the Vineyard,” which released on August 2017.
What are you waiting for? Grab some popcorn, stay in and catch up on Cook’s new projects.
