(MICHELE)

Though she started attending Queens University and even had a recurring role on a Canadian show called Flash Forward, Rachel Blanchard didn’t hesitate to say yes after learning that she’d successfully auditioned for the Alicia Silverstone role in ABC’s adaptation of Clueless. The series — which also starred future Scrubs actor Donald Faison — was a success and ran for three seasons, during which time Rachel firmly established herself as one of the hottest Canadian imports to emerge since Pamela Anderson joined the cast of Baywatch.

After the series ended in 1999, Rachel began sifting through the various offers on her table, eventually settling on a supporting role opposite Mena Suvari and Jason London in The Rage: Carrie 2. She followed that up with a series of appearances in films such as 2000’s Road Trip (with Amy Smart, Sean William Scott and Breckin Meyer), 2001’s Sugar & Spice (with Marla Sokoloff and Melissa George), and 2004’s Without a Paddle (with Seth Green and Matthew Lillard). Rachel even found time to return to her Canadian roots by starring in the little-seen drama The Wild Dogs in 2002, though the actress generally devoted herself to south-of-the-border pursuits.

Rachel spent much of the early part of the new century steeped in television, thanks to her recurring roles on 7th Heaven and a Britcom called Peep Show. Frustrated with the lack of edgy parts available to her, Rachel signed up for a small but pivotal role in the 2005 Atom Egoyan drama Where the Truth Lies. Featuring a risqué three-way sex scene between Rachel and costars Kevin Bacon and Colin Firth, the film was eventually released to American theaters unrated after Egoyan refused to make any cuts.

Rachel was cast in two films in 2006: a romantic comedy starring Ray Liotta called Comeback Season and the Samuel L. Jackson cult-classic Snakes on a Plane.