TB:You've starred in two very different films so far--Babysitter's Club, where the cast is practically all girls, and now Tom Sawyer, where it's you, Jonathon Taylor Thomas and Brad Renfro. Is there a big difference being on a set with all boys as opposed to all girls?

RLC: OH yeah, it's different. With the girls, it was really fun because we're all about the same age. We could just talk about stuff--Not that I can't talk to Brad and Jonathon--They're really cool and we've become good friends. It's just different. I mean, Babysitter's wasn't like one big sleepover, we worked. It was fun though. Tom Sawyer is a different kind of fun.

TB: Did you and Jonathon have a good time working together?

RLC: Yeah, he's a really good guy. He's really professional. He's just fun to hang out with. We all do school together.

TB: How about Brad?

RLC: Brad's cool. He's not really like Jonathon. You really have to meet him. It's kind of like, we're all so different that it was easy for all of us to hang out together becuase we're not alike.

TB: How are you different?

RLC: Wow, that's hard....I cant'...Well, you could say Brad's crazy, Jonathon's serious--but I can't say that. It's not fair to categorize them because it's just not true.

TB: Did the guys have a hard time accepting a girl on the set?

RLC: Oh no. Not at all. I mean, I think they accepted me, I guess you'd have to ask them. As far as I know we had a great time.

TB: Did you all go out together when you weren't working?

RLC: Yeah, we'd go out to eat. We went to see a movie--we went to see Bad Boys. Brad came running and said, "Let's go see 'Muriel's Wedding'. Let's go get Johnny boy and we'll run and see the move." So we run to get Jonathon. We grabbed Brad's grandmother and we get in the car. We drive for five minutes and realize we don't know where the movie theater is! Finally, we ended up at this tiny theater and had to see Bad Boys because we missed the other movie. The movie broke and we had to sit there and listen to muzak while they fixed it. It was really funny.

TB: In the book Tom Sawyer, Becky's a blonde but you're a brunette. Did they dye your hair?

RLC: No they didn't--Thank God! When I got there, they were putting these extensions on me. I remember, I saw these blonde ringlets--I was like, OH NO! Then ther was some serious talk about dying my hair red. It was weird. I thought it had made sense that they cast me-- a brunette--because I thought Jonathon was still a blonde, and I thought Brad was because of The Client. So I figured they didn't want another blonde because then we'd look like triplets. I get there--they've dyed Jonathon brown, Brad's hair turned brown and so now we all have brown hair! They did end up giving me extensions. They're really long and funny looking--funny cool. It looks so real it scares me.

TB: How long did it take to get them in?

RLC: It takes about a half hour to 45 minutes to get them in. It's not fun, but once they're in it's cool.

TB: What is your Becky costume like?

RLC: It's so cool. It's like Gone With The Wind stuff. It's like peticoats, pantaloons, I don't have to wear a corset, but I've got lots of heavy skirts. We did this one scene where I have to walk on the railings of a bridge. It was really scary getting up there--it wasn't that high, but it was like 15 feet above the water. I was worried I was going to trip on my skirts. I could just see myself stepping on one of my skirts and flying into the water. But it went just fine.

TB: What are you wearing on your feet? I can't imagine you're wearing sneakers.

RLC: No, they're just like little lace up boots. They come to just my ankle. They almost feel like ballet slippers. They're really thin and I can feel everything on the ground through them.

TB: What scenes have you finished so far?

RLC: Well, we've done the big engagement scene, that's where I apologize to Tom for pushing him in the river.

TB: Did you really push Jonathon in the river?

RLC: It looks like it. He did his own stunt for that. It's the same bridge that I walked on before except he's walking on it. So he's just showing off for me, and I'm supposed to just walk past, not even looking at him and then I push him with one hand, not even looking. (laughs) It's so fun. He just fell on boxes and a mattress. They were all stacked up and there was four guys to catch him.

TB: How many times did you get to push him?

RLC: I think that went a little too well. I only got to do it three times. (laughs) But we had fun.

TB: Did you get a chance to read the book before you started filming?

RLC: Yeah, I did. I read it about a year ago. Then I took advantage of that and read it again for a report for my American Lit class. It was good to read again. I tried to read a little bit more into the Becky part, but I find that Mark Twian--the truth is that he favored kids over adults and boys over girls. There wasn't a ton to work with.

TB: Did they modernize the Becky part for this movie?

RLC: They gave her a little bit more of an attitude.

TB: I know you haven't filmed the cave scenes yet, but have you had a chance to see any of Huntsville's caves yet?

RLC: Well, I took the liberty of exploring when I was there the first time. It was really scary. I went down into a cave and it branched off about six different ways. It was really dark.

TB: You didn't go down there by yourself, did you?

RLC: Well, I was like, "Rachael don't be a scaredy cat."

TB: You are brave.

RLC: There was no one else there and I was hearing rumors that there were a lot of snakes around because Brad had just seen one. But I figured two feet won't hurt. It was so dark there--I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. It was pitch black. I was like, "Okay I've had enough" and I just bolted the other way. It was really fun though.

TB: Do you have to kiss Jonathon in the film?

RLC: Oh yeah, we've already done that.

TB: How did it go?

RLC: Oh, it went good.

TB: Was this your first onscreen kiss?

RLC: No, Austin O'Brien was my boyfriend in Babysitter's, so I did that. I get around! (laughs) NO! Just kidding!

TB: Was Jonathon at all embarrassed?

RLC: No, I don't think he was. I'm not sure if he's had to before. I'll have to ask him. He didn't seem to be scared.

TB: Did the crew tease you about it?

RLC: I think people were like trying. They were like, "Hey hate to break you up but it's lunch time." We were just like, very funny. And so it went very well. They ended up doing a lot of coverage of it. A still photographer took pictures. They ended up doing a 180 closeup which is like, right there. The nose camera. But it was fun.

TB: So you just have to like, hold the kiss while they're running around you?

RLC: Pretty much.

TB: How do you keep from laughing?

RLC: It wasn't that you have to stay there. You do it a lot of times to get it right and they (film it from everywhere)-from close from far, from his perspctive, from mine. It worked out though.

TB: In real life, do you have a boyfriend? (Rachael was 15 during the interview)

RLC: NO, I don't. (But she later had Rider Strong as her man)

TB: What do you look for in guys?

RLC: The only thing that I look for above anything else is someone who isn't shy. I can't believe shy people. I mean, I can talk for hours, I really could. But if someone doesnt talk back to me, it's like, I know you're interesting but you're going to have to show me. And a sense of humor. I know it sounds corny, but I like guys who can make me laugh. But talkative above a lot of things-looks will only take you so far. But of course, looks don't hurt.

TB: And just for the record, because I know our readers are dying to know-you're not dating Jonathon or anything, right?

RLC: I am not dating Jonathon Taylor Thomas. I think he's really cool but we're just friends.

TB: Before the announcement was made that you were cast, we ran a little piece in Meow, our gossip column, that said they were still looking for the right Becky. You wouldn't believe how many letters we recieved from readers who wanted to audition for the part!

RLC: Oh my God...I feel so bad!

TB: NO DON'T!