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Blu Hunt on Playing Rachel in ‘The Faithful’ Bible Drama

Blu Hunt on Playing Rachel in ‘The Faithful’ Bible Drama

Last updated on: April 3, 2026 at 9:00 am by DeWayne Hamby

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Blu Hunt on Playing Rachel in ‘The Faithful’ Bible Drama 2026-04-02T20:00:35-04:00 DeWayne Hamby

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Actress Blu Hunt (“The New Mutants,” “Sherlock and Daughter”) knew almost immediately that Rachel was the role for her in the faith-based series “The Faithful: The Women of the Bible.”

The opportunity came quickly after she was asked if she could handle an English accent. Within days of receiving the script, Hunt was on a plane to Rome.

“I was really excited, because it is such a huge story, and Rachel is such an important, amazing character in the Bible,” Hunt said. “If I was going to play anyone from these stories, I think Rachel is the most fitting person for me to play.”

The production’s attention to detail helped transport her into the ancient world. Hunt praised the hand-carved wooden toys she uses in scenes with children, the period food, and the meticulously crafted encampment.

“It is just the food that will be in the scenes, like the grapes and the pomegranates and the bread and the cheeses. When I’m in the scene and I have the little toy and the carving thing, and I have my bow and arrow, it really puts you into the time,” she said.

Working with live animals added to the immersion. Hunt shepherded flocks of sheep, encountered camels for the first time, and navigated scenes with goats and donkeys.

“The animals are amazing,” she said. “I’ve never seen a camel before. They’re so big.”

Read more coverage of “The Faithful”

Hunt, who grew up attending church, approached the role with a sense of responsibility rooted in familiarity with the biblical text. She highlighted one of the most uplifting and inspirational lessons from Rachel and Leah’s story: even their mistakes and rivalries served a greater divine plan.

“They made lots of mistakes, but it was those mistakes that ended up actually having a greater plan for them,” Hunt said. “Even when it seems you’ve strayed away from the plan by doing all the things you’re not meant to do, actually, in the end, if you just have faith, you have actually stuck to the plan in a way.”

That theme of providence amid human flaws resonates powerfully in the series. Hunt noted that the competitiveness and strong emotions between the sisters — feelings still familiar today — ultimately contributed to the foundation of the tribes of Israel.

“We’re still learning so much about ourselves through these stories, just in lessons of our daily lives and stories about marriage and love and sisterhood,” she said.

Director Daniel Cannon’s guidance proved essential in balancing the complex relationship between Rachel and Leah. Hunt described moments when her instinct was pure frustration or anger during scenes of rivalry. The director consistently encouraged approaching every interaction with underlying love.

“He has kind of this directing tactic to just approach it with love,” Hunt recalled. “And somehow it completely works. By the time we’re done shooting the scene, I feel like there’s no way that this scene can be interpreted as two girls who hate each other. Every scene has this extra layer of sadness, but also it feels like there’s something else at work here that is greater than us.”

Hunt found personal connection to Rachel’s spirited, determined nature.

“She’s supposed to be really beautiful… she kind of is like, I know what I want, I’m gonna get it,” Hunt said. “She feels a bit young… younger spirited.”

She also appreciated how the production stayed faithful to the biblical text. “One thing we’ve done well is we actually don’t deviate from a lot of the scenes is we use real text from the Bible,” she noted, comparing the challenge to performing Shakespeare.

The fast-paced preparation included extensive rehearsals and dialect work. Hunt credited her dialect coach for daily recordings that helped her master the English accent despite her California roots. “I’m a pretty quick memorizer, which is really lucky for me,” she said.

Hunt described the overall experience as deeply transformative. The painstaking craftsmanship — from wardrobe to props to the Italian landscapes — made her feel truly immersed in Rachel’s world.

“I actually think this is the most I’ve ever felt like truly transported into that time,” she said.

For Hunt, portraying Rachel reinforced timeless biblical truths about faith, flaws, and family. The story illustrates how God can weave human imperfection — rivalry, jealousy, impatience — into something eternal and redemptive.

“Every mistake they made, they had to make in order to get to the end of their lives and do everything that was so important,” Hunt reflected.

“The Faithful: The Women of the Bible” which premiered March 22 on FOX Television and starring Minnie Driver, Natacha, Jeffrey Donovan, Millie Brady, and Tom Payne, airs its finale on Easter Sunday, April 5 at 8 pm EST and replaying on Hulu.

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