Rachelle Chase ... life is about the chase: October 2006

Saturday, October 07, 2006

Hey, You Look Like ...!

Yet again, I was at Starbucks - this time in the financial district of San Francisco - brainstorming the plot of my next book. I'd just reached the part where the hero was showing the heroine various parts of his anatomy, asking her to touch each part, slowing inching toward--

"Excuse me," said a feminine voice, interrupting me.

I glanced up, suppressing a frown, to face the neatly dressed, dark-haired woman standing in front of me. "Yes?" I replied with a polite smile.

"You look just like the Canadian Governor General from Haiti."

What? My smile slipped. I felt my mouth drop open.

She smiled hesitantly. "You wouldn't happen to be Michaelle Jean, would you?"

"Uh … no. Sorry."

Looking embarrassed, she went on to explain that she worked at a Canadian firm and a photo of Michaelle – which she passed every day – was on the wall.

I'd totally forgotten about the incident, until today. While I was looking at my notes, I saw where I'd scribbled Ms. Jean's name, which gave me the perfect excuse to procrastinate. Off to the Internet I went, searching for photos of the Canadian Governor General, which prompted me to scour the photos of myself on my laptop for any likeness, which prompted me to remember other Hey, you look just like … incidences.

Three hours later, here are the fruits of my various searches:

Michaelle Jean (left), Rachelle Chase (right). If you look real hard for 30 minutes, letting your eyes dart from photo to photo, you might catch a slight resemblance. I look like Ms. Jean on a bad day.

A couple years ago, a guy in L.A. who was producing his first film saw my headshot on a casting directory and called me.

"Are you interested in playing Condoleezza Rice?" he asked me.

Condoleezza Rice (left), Rachelle Chase (right) This is my headshot that prompted his call.