Exclusive: Rachel Boudwin Hopes New Film 'Boot Camp' Inspires 'at Least One Person to Find Confidence in Themselves'

Everyone loves a feel-good rom com, which is why Rachel Boudwin was so excited to sign on and be a part of the much anticipated and popular novel turned film, Boot Camp, which comes out on Friday, August 2.

"The story revolves around Whitney's personal journey with self-acceptance and falling in love. At the start of the film we see Whitney in a very vulnerable state after she is embarrassed at prom and presumes it has to do with her physical appearance. In an effort to reinvent herself she signs up for a body empowerment camp, and along the way finds love, new friends and herself," Boudwin exclusively tells Morning Honey of playing Whitney Carmichael.

The actress, who notes the audition process was "crazy, to say the least," made sure to home in on her craft when portraying Whitney.

"Director Mackenzie Munro and I worked together meticulously on how we wanted to portray Whitney. From the start, we knew we didn't want Whitney to have that drastic of a physical change. It was never a story about Whitney losing weight, it was about her finding her own inner confidence and letting that shine through. I liked to think of her as Whitney, Whitney 2.0 and her alter ego Irabel. We mainly discussed how Whitney's posture would correlate with her confidence with a bit of wardrobe influence. The wardrobe department was great to work with and found what kind of styles fit me best," she explains of getting into character. "For example, Whitney wore a purple dress to prom that purposefully felt a bit younger and less suited for her. At the end, she wore another dress that made me feel more comfortable and spoke to the essence of Whitney. Ironically both purple, symbolizing that it wasn't really the outside that had changed in Whitney but the inside."

The red-headed beauty also learned a lot from Riverdale alum Drew Ray Tanner, who plays Axel.

"This experience was one of the most daunting things I've ever done but there wasn't one day where Drew didn't have me on the floor laughing. Sometimes as actors we can get caught up in the weight of everything, but Drew always reminded me to think of my inner child. That kid who wanted to start acting in the first place. We can't forget about them. He knew how to take me out of it and remind me how freaking cool our jobs are," she shares.

She adds, "Drew was such a joy to work with. I had seen the first two seasons of Riverdale at that point, so I was definitely a bit starstruck and nervous to act with him. But the amazing thing about Drew is he always knows how to have fun and include everyone. Without him this project might have been a lot scarier for a newbie like me."

Since it was her first time as a lead in a feature film, Boudwin has learned so much along the way. "My favorite part by far would be working with this incredible cast and building lifelong friendships with them. It truly felt like we were at camp and just having fun. Although the hardest part about the process were the long hours and hardworking days, they were always there for me when I needed them — whether it was a laugh from Drew, a hug from Anisha [Cheema] or cuddle from Rachel Boyd. They made everyday the best day," she says. "But my biggest takeaway would have to be the understanding of my privilege and responsibility. It's a great honor to be able to fill this role, but like Uncle Ben says, 'With great power comes great responsibility.' Sometimes it can be as simple as having a good attitude because inevitably your demeanor will affect morale on set. If I can make someone's day better, I want to."

"I hope that people can watch this film and not only find love for the characters but for themselves as well. At the end of the day, this is a story of love for Whitney — love for her romantic partners, her friends, and most importantly, herself. If this film could inspire at least one person to find confidence in themselves, our job is done," she adds.

Though the process was "amazing, terrifying and exciting" for Boudwin, she is looking forward to people understanding the message of this movie: to love yourself no matter what.

"I'm incredibly glad this movement is getting the ammunition it deserves. We are living in a time where people are getting more comfortable with discussing body image issues, but at the same time, it's getting harder to weed out the toxicity. My hope is that no matter what you look like, everyone will feel they deserve to be a part of the body positivity/neutrality movement," she says.

"I want to reflect these beliefs in my personal life as well. If I want to talk the talk, I have to walk the walk. For me, it can be as simple as catching myself when I begin to have negative internal thoughts and changing my own narrative. When you can do that for yourself you can also do it for others. On my own confidence journey, I just faked it until I made it. At first, you might not believe it, but if you start telling yourself something, you will start to believe it, good or bad. All this to say, even the most confident people in the world don't wake up every day loving themselves, it's a process. Not only that, but it's just as important to lift up the people around you," she says of being a role model. "I hope audiences can learn to love themselves like Whitney did. I'm not saying it's an easy two step process; some days you just don't feel good in your body and that's part of being a human. But I hope someone, whether it's a 10-year-old girl or 80-year-old man, can walk away from the film thinking, 'If Whitney can do it, so can I.'"

From a young age, the star always knew she wanted to act. "Apparently I was so theatrical as a kid that putting me in the school plays was just the obvious choice. I was also deeply obsessed with movies so it was my way of living out that fantasy. Acting gave me a place to express myself and get out of my comfort zone. Being in front of a camera or on stage has always felt like the best place in the world," she says.

Now, she hopes to continue acting until she's "old and gray."

"Within the next decade I would love to try every genre of film I can. As a movie lover, I want to be in the kinds of movies I like to watch. Whether that's horror, drama, comedy, action, you name it. Growing up I was obsessed with The Parent Trap — and getting to be in Boot Camp has felt like living out that childhood dream. Franchise films like Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Back to the Future and The Hunger Games were a staple in my house. Starring in one of these franchises or an original would be a 'pinch-me' moment. I do have a few dream roles which include Batgirl, Elizabeth I (shout-out to my redheads) and also Stevie Nicks. Most importantly, I want to portray strong, vulnerable and complicated characters for as long as I can," she notes.

Boot Camp will be out, Friday, August 2, in selected USA and Canadian theaters and available on Prime Video, Apple TV and On Demand.