Going West With Rain Spencer

Rain Spencer knew she wanted to be an actress when she was just five years old. “I started doing plays at that age, singing my little heart out,” she recalls from the makeup chair where she’s multitasking this interview and undergoing full glam (hair, face, and mani). “I loved acting so much that my five-year-old self was like, this is it. This is what we’re going to do.” The driven, natural attitude she conjures is very ‘Giddy Up!,’ echoing the name and spirit of Christian Louboutin’s fall 2024 collection, which she’s about to be decked in. Spencer even remembers telling her mom that she “needed an agent,” letting everyone know that, from the start, she was ready to ride.

But first, she needed to go West. Born in Germany, Spencer was a baby when she moved to North Carolina (where she first caught the acting bug) and where she happens to find herself again this summer, shooting the sequel to a popular streaming series. Maybe this is how she’s able to channel her inner child’s voice so clearly, but the reality is that Spencer works hard to stay connected to the different versions of herself.

“I love my younger self. I have to,” Spencer says with a kind of laid-back conviction that stems only from the true experience of — sticking with the theme — falling off the horse and getting back on. When she and her mom eventually moved to Los Angeles, Spencer quickly landed her first role at age ten and fulfilled her dream of signing with an agent. “I'm really grateful for that because it's not everybody's story. It was all aligning for little me. But then I auditioned for, like, ten more years without getting anything,” she laughs, candidly opening up about the very typical, yet seldom talked about, struggles of being a young actor. But this was what she wanted to do and — physically, emotionally, spiritually — she’d gone West. She took a leap of faith and had no regard for those who doubted her.

With a few major roles and a notable acting award under her belt, Spencer is very intentional about maintaining this sense of self. To keep her cool, she has meditated daily for the past six years and actively nurtures the inner child that keeps popping up in conversation. “What I’ve come to learn is that, when my brain can logically understand a situation, but my emotional body can’t, the younger me is confused and doesn’t understand what’s going on. So, if I’m hurt, instead of being a jerk to myself, it’s important to love the child in me and take care of her. Does she need to take a walk? Does she want ice cream? What do we need?”

At only 24, Spencer has developed a gentle emotional intelligence that many spend years in therapy trying to cultivate. Acting, too, has proven to serve as a portal to this younger spirit. “I like to play dress-up!” she says, expressing an appreciation for the many style moments her career has brought. “When I put on an outfit for a character that I’m playing, that’s when I intuitively start to feel confidence in that character and what she's trying to cover up (or not cover up) about herself.”

Off-duty, Spencer describes her style as more “cartoon character,” meaning she pretty much wears the same thing every day to conserve energy for her work. But she does have some “fashion girly” in her and has recently been watching reruns of Y2K-era competition shows (“In fashion, one day you're in and the next day you're out. Auf wiedersehen!”) Growing up with a single mom, Spencer didn’t enjoy the spoils and excess of the luxurious, stereotypical LA life we see on screen, which has led to a genuine appreciation for the designer pieces she gets to wear on red carpets and photo shoots. Of course, the Christian Louboutin red bottoms are iconic, but the craftsmanship and detail that goes into each stitch and adornment on these boots and bags feels extra special.

Regardless of whether she’s wearing a vintage find or brand-new, jewel-studded western boots, it’s all about what’s going on inside. “In high school, I could be wearing something thrifted, but I’d feel like a million dollars. And now, when I’m wearing these Louboutins, I feel the same way. It comes down to what you bring to the look.” You wear the clothes, the clothes don’t wear you, and this should be the case no matter who you are or how many people perceive you.

Wardrobe Stylist: Ian Bradley; Makeup Artist: Tiffany Patton; Hair Stylist: Akihisa Yamaguchi; Creative Director: Diana Weisman; Senior Fashion Director: Jenna Wexler; Senior Fashion Editor: Kate Marin; Talent Booking: Mikaela Baruch; Producer: Marilee Hodge.